BX  9211  .F77  F52  1901 

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Averill,  William  H. 

A  history  of  the  First 

Presbyterian  Church, 

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A  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


First  Presbyterian  Church 


FRANKFORT  KENTUCKY 


TOGETHER  WITH  THE 


Churches  in  Franklin  County 


IN  CONNECTION  WITH 

THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
OF  AMERICA 


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BY  \  ^aHh* 

W  H  "AVERILL 

Clerk  of  the  Session  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
1901 


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FOR  SALE  dW°e^&kIWbE 

Cincinnati,  u. 

Louisville  Presbyteriam-^  Seminary 

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NOTE. 

The  impelling  motive  of  this  work  has  been  a  desire 
to  preserve  in  a  permanent  form,  to  our  Church  and  to 
all  others  who  may  be  interested  in  these  matters,  the 
history  of  our  local  congregations,  some  portions  of 
which  would  doubtless  be  lost  if  not  recorded  at  this 
time.  Much  more  of  interesting  detail  might  have  been 
included  in  the  volume,  but  in  order  to  keep  it  within 
reasonable  bounds,  it  has  to  some  extent  been  a  matter 
of  selection,  using  only  such  material  as  would  likely 
be  of  general  interest,  and  at  the  same  time  directly 
connected  with  the  object  in  view. 

W.  H.  AvERiLL. 

Frankfort,  Ky.,  August,  1902. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I.                                 Page 
The  Presbyterian   Church   in   Kentucky 13 

A  Brief  Glance  at  its  Early  History. 

CHAPTER    II. 
The  Upper  Benson  Church 25 

CHAPTER    III. 
The  Lower  Benson  Church 49 

While  in  Connection  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
the  United  vStates  of  America. 

CHAPTER     IV. 
The  First  Church,  Frankeort 61 

Settlement  of  the  Town.  Sketch  of  the  Church  During 
the  Century.  Centennial  Services,  March  31,  1901. 
Buildings.  Ministers.  Ruling  Elders.  Church  Music. 
Spirituality  and  Revivals.  Benevolence.  Ladies' 
Societies.     Bible  Societies. 

CHAPTER    V. 
Sabbath-schools 197 

Early  History  and  Methods.  Subsequent  Work. 
Superintendents.      Leestown  Mission  School. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
General  Summary 233 

Statistics.  Tabular  Statements.  List  of  Ministers. 
Officers  and  Members  from  the  Organization  to 
Date. 

Appendix 267 

The  Love  House.  The  Brown  Mansion.  Exhibit  of 
Church  Expenditures  1829.  Presbyterial  Livery  Bill. 
Synodical  Livery  Bill.  Subscription  to  Sabbath- 
school  tSiq,  with  Sample  Page  of  Expenditures. 
Roster  of  Classes  1826.  '"Ancient  Advice."  "A 
Steward's  Account.'"     Mementos. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

For  some  of  the  data  used  in  Chapters  I.  and  II. 
I  am  indebted  to  "  Davidson's  History  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  Kentucky,"  and  to  "An  Outline  of 
the  History  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky,"  by  Professor 
Robert  H.  Bishop. 

For  matter  used  in  Chapter  11.-,  in  addition  to  the 
above  works,  recourse  was  had  to  the  Minutes  of  Ses- 
sion of  that  Church,  and  to  information  obtained  "  by 
word  of  mouth  "  by  the  writer  from  members  of  the 
family  of  Thomas  Paxton,  who  were  cognizant  of  many 
of  the  facts,  and  in  some  of  the  events  active  participants. 
For  items  embraced  in  Chapter  IV.,  we  are  indebted 
in  part  to  "An  Account  of  the  First  Settlement,"  by 
Robert  McAfee,  and  to  an  address  delivered  upon  the 
occasion  of  Frankfort's  Centennial,  in  1886,  by  the  late 
John  Mason  Brown. 

The  facts  detailed  in  Chapter  V.  are  mostly  taken 
from  the  Diary  and  Account  Books  of  Mrs.  Margaretta 
Brown,  and  the  later  Sabbath-school  Records. 

Thanks  are  also  due  to  Mr.  Leo  Oberwarth,  archi- 
tect, of  this  city,  for  preparing  drawings  of  early  build- 
ings;  to  Mr.  T.  L.  Edelen  for  photographs,  and  to 
Mrs.  Jennie  C.  Morton,  of  the  Kentucky  Historical 
Society,  for  the  print  of  the  "  Love  House,"  taken  from 
her  poem  read  at  Frankfort's  Centennial. 


"  So  then  neither  is  he  that  planteth  anything, 
neither  he  that  watereth ;  but  God  that  giveth  the 
increase.""^'  —  i  Cor.  iii.  7. 


*  Text  of  discourse  bj'  Dr.  John  Witherspoon  in  opening  the 
Prst  General  Assembly,  1789. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A   GLANCE  AT  THE   EARLY   HISTORY   OF  THE 
PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH    IN    KENTUCKY. 

In  taking  up  the  subject  of  the  proposed  sketch,  it 
may  be  well,  for  the  benefit  of  the  average  church 
member  of  to-day,  and  a  reminder  to  those  who  are 
already  informed  on  the  subject,  to  glance  briefly  at  the 
history  of  our  Church  in  Kentucky  during  the  forma- 
tive period,  covering  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

The  district  of  Kentiicky,  originally  a  part  of  Fin- 
castle  County,  Virginia,  was  set  ofif  as  a  special  county 
in  1776;  and  in  1780  erected  into  a  "  district  "  with 
three  counties,  Fayette,  Jefiferson  and  Lincoln.  In  1792, 
about  eighteen  years  after  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment, it  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  sovereign 
State. 

In  considering  the  beginnings  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  district  we  should  bear  in  mind  the  state 
of  society  in  the  settlements,  with  its  many  unfavorable 
conditions.  The  War  of  the  Revolution  had  just  termi- 
nated, and  in  addition  to  the  vices  and  lawlessness,  by 
no  means  as  yet  abated,  which  had  been  engendered  by 
that  long  and  bloody  contest,  there  had  come  a  fearful 
period  of  spiritual  declension  and  skepticism  over  the 
whole  land,  owing  in  a  large  degree  to  the  spread  and 
influence  of  French  infidelity. 

This  section  of  the  country  was  as  yet  in  an  unsettled 
and  very  precarious  condition,  and  from  all  accounts 
the  environments  of  our  forefathers  here  were  by  no 


14  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

means  conducive  to  spirituality,  or  favorable  even  to 
the  observance  of  the  outward  forms  of  religion.  Their 
necessities  were  great  and  urgent,  and  for  defense 
against  the  ever-present  and  impending  danger  of  the 
attacks  of  the  Indians,  they  were  compelled  at  all  times 
to  go  fully  armed,  even  while  at  work  in  the  field  or  in 
their  social  gatherings.  Their  time  was  mostly  taken 
up  in  providing  for  the  pressing  needs  of  their  families, 
and  in  the  intervals  of  labor  the  people,  old  and  young, 
indulged  freely  and  with  keen  enjoyment  in  many  sports 
and  amusements,  dancing  and  other  recreations,  as  a 
compensation  for  the  enforced  confinement  within  their 
cabins  and  "  stations." 

The  exploits  and  escapes  of  their  fellow  settlers  and 
the  dangers  and  exigencies  of  their  daily  surroundings 
engrossed  their  attention  and  formed  the  chief  topics 
of  serious  thought  and  conversation,  and  it  is  hardly  to 
be  wondered  at  that  religion  occupied  but  a  small  share 
of  their  attention.  Many  who  in  their  homes  beyond 
the  mountains  had  led  exemplary  lives,  being  here 
removed  from  the  oversight  and  restraint  of  the  Church, 
were  no  better  than  those  who  made  no  pretensions  to 
Godliness.* 

Upon  the  advent  of  the  Rev.  David  Rice,  in  October, 
1783,  who  came  to  the  territory  in  response  to  an  invi- 
tation of  some  of  the  settlers,  and  who  was  the  first 
minister  of  our  Church  to  enter  Kentucky,  the  state 
of  religion  as  depicted  by  him  was  in  a  very  low  condi- 
tion. He  found  very  few  men  who  by  their  lives  main- 
tained a  good  religious  character,  and  the  great  majority 
of  settlers  were  given  over  to  intemperance,  Sabbath- 


*  Davidson's  History. 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    CHURCH    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 5 

breaking,  gambling,  and  other  kindred  vices.*  Under 
the  circumstances  Mr.  Rice  did  not  think  it  wise  to 
attempt  at  once  the  formation  of  churches,  but  deemed 
it  best  to  preach  to  the  people  for  a  time,  mingle  with 
them  socially,  and  prepare  them  for  organization  at  a 
later  period.*  ' 

After  a  year's  labor  he  thought  that  the  time  had 
come,  and  that  the  way  was  open  for  the  formation  of 
churches.     This  was  accordingly  done  in  1784,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Harrods  and  McAfee  Stations,  in  what  is  now 
Mercer  County,  with  three  places  of  wqrship.  Cane  Run, 
Forks  of  Dicks  River,  and  Concord  (Danville),  with  Har- 
rods Station  as  a  central  point,  t     During  the  succeed- 
ing year  several  other  congregations  were  organized  in 
the  district,  Pisgah,  New  Providence,  Paint  Lick,  Salem, 
Walnut    Hills,    Mt.    Zion    (Lexington),    Hopewell    and 
Whitlev  Station.      These  congregations  being  greatly 
scat^^^ered  and  far  removed  from  Hanover  Presbytery, 
Virginia,  which  had  jurisdiction  in  this  territory,  imme- 
diately felt  the  need  of  some  sort  of  organization  for 
the    better    regulation    and    greater    eflficiency    of    the 
churches.     Accordingly  a  "  general  meeting  "  for  con- 
ference was  called  to  assemble  at  Cane  Run  in  March, 
1785.  j     The  ministers  present  were  David  Rice,  Adam 
Rankin,  James  Mitchell,  with  Terah  Templin,  a  proba- 
tioner.    Five  churches  were  represented  by  two  dele- 
gates each  :     Caleb  Wallace  and  William  McCune  from 
Cane  Run,  Thomas  Maxwell  and  Samuel  Woods  from 
Paint  Lick,  James  McCoun  and  George  Buchanan  from 
New  Providence,  James  Beard  and  James  Allen  from 


*  Bishop's  Memoirs  of  Rice.  t  Davidson's  History. 


l6  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Salem,  Richard  Steele  and  John  Brooks  from  Mt.  Zion 
(Lexington). 

The  first  business  transacted  by  the  Conference  was 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  obtain  the  concur- 
rence of  Hanover  Presbytery  in  a  petition  to  the  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  then  the  highest  court 
of  our  Church,  for  separation  into  a  new  Presbytery. 
The  state  of  religion  in  the  territory  was  discussed,  and 
resolutions  were  adopted  recommending  the  election  of 
three  ruling  elders  in  each  congregation,  and  providing 
for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  children.  The  Con- 
ference was  in  session  three  days,  and  adjourned  to  meet 
again  in  the  same  place  in  July  following,  the  meeting 
to  be  opened  with  a  sermon  by  Mr.  Rice.  * 

The  ministers  present  at  the  July  meeting  were 
David  Rice,  Adam  Rankin,  with  Terah  Templin  and 
James  Crawford,  probationers.  Twelve  congregations 
were  represented  by  two  ruling  elders  each.  After 
the  opening  sermon  by  Mr.  Rice,  he  was  chosen  to 
preside  as  Chairman,  and  Caleb  Wallace  was  elected 
Clerk.  Among  the  recommendations  adopted  by  the 
"  Conference  "  were  the  following:  * 

"  That  in  the  absence  of  ministers,  the  elders  should 
assemble  the  congregations  and  conduct  religious  serv- 
ices, with  prayer,  singing,  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures 
and  judicious  selections  from  approved  doctrinal  and 
practical  discourses. 

"  That  the  several  parts  of  divine  service  be  per- 
formed with  the  greatest  decency  and  solemnity.  That 
good  clerks  be  employed  in  every  congregation  to  lead 


*  Davidson's  History. 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    CHURCH    IN    KENTUCKY.  1 7 

the  singing,  and  tliat  grave  and  agreeable  tunes  only 
should  be  used. 

"  In  view  of  the  dangers  to  which  the  country  was 
still  exposed  from  the  Indians,  of  the  general  declension 
of  virtue  and  the  alarming  prevalence  of  vice,  a  day  of 
Fasting,  Humiliation  and  Prayer  was  appointed. 

"  And  in  view  of  the  scarcity  of  books  in  the  terri- 
tory and  the  difficulty  of  ministers  procuring  these  helps, 
thus  retarding  their  progress  in  knowledge  and  useful- 
ness, it  is  recomm.ended  that  in  each  congregation  col- 
lections be  at  once  made,  to  raise  a  fund  with  which  to 
purchase  books,  which  were  to  be  loaned  to  ministers 
and  probationers,  at  such  places  and  under  such  regu- 
lations as  the  Conference  or  the  future  Presbytery  may 
direct." 

In  consequence  of  these  recommendations,  churches 
were  at  once  formed  at  various  points,  elders  ordained 
and  installed,  and  religious  services  inaugurated.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  same  year  (1785)  Rev.  Edward  Craw- 
ford and  Charles  Gumming  were  appointed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Hanover  to  visit  Kentucky,  and  with  Rev. 
David  Rice  to  constitute  a  commission  for  the  special 
purpose  of  examining  and  ordaining  candidates  for  the 
gospel  ministry,  and  by  it  Terali  Templin  and  James 
Crawford  were  ordained  at  Danville. 

The  Presbytery  of  Transylvania  was  organized  on 
October  17,  1786,  in  the  Court  House  at  Danville.  Five 
ministers  and  five  ruling  elders  were  present :  Revs. 
David  Rice,  Adam  Rankin,  Andrew  McClure,  James 
Crawford   and   Terah    Templin,"^    with    Ruling    Elders 


*  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Craig-head  was  absent,  providentially,  and 
was  afterwards  enrolled. 


l8  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Richard  Steele,  David  Orey,  John  Bovel,  Joseph  Reed 
and  Jeremiah  Frain,  and  constituted  that  august  and 
honorable  body,  the  first  Presbytery  of  Kentucky.  Rev. 
David  Rice,  of  course  by  common  voice,  presided  as 
Moderator.  Rev.  Andrew  McClure  was  chosen  Stated 
Clerk.  The  proceedings  were  conducted  with  great  dig- 
nity and  decorum,  in  strict  accordance  with  the  old 
forms  of  procedure.* 

The  bounds  of  the  Presbytery  included,  besides  the 
district  of  Kentucky,  the  settlements  in  Tennessee  on 
the  Cumberland  River,  and  those  north  of  the  Ohio 
River  in  the  territories  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  Shortly 
after  its  organization  the  Presbytery  received  a  valuable 
addition  in  the  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon,  of  Virginia,  who 
at  once  took  charge  of  the  churches  at  Bethel  and  Sink- 
ing Spring,  where  he  remained  four  years,  and  then 
removed  to  Woodford  Church,  where  he  continued 
until  he  took  charge  some  years  later  as  pastor  of  the 
two  Benson  Churches,  in  Franklin  County,  where  he 
terminated  his  ministry. 

In  the  year  1787  the  Synod  of  Virginia  appointed  a 
Com.mittee  on  Missions,  for  the  purpose  of  assigning 
fields  of  labor  to  ministers  and  licentiates  who  were 
desirous  of  entering  upon  that  work.  Some  of  these, 
constituting  a  noble  band  of  talented  and  consecrated 
young  men,  chose  Kentucky  —  Robert  Marshall,  Cary 
H.  Allen,  William  Calhoun,  John  P.  Campbell,  Samuel 
Rannells,  Robert  Stuart,  Robert  Wilson  and  John  Lyle ; 
and  their  coming  and  their  subsecjuent  labors  were  a 
benediction  to  the  scattered  congregations,  but  few  of 
whioli  were  able  to  maintain  the  regular  stated  means  of 


*  Minutes  of  the  Presbytery. 


EARLY   HISTORY   OF   CHURCH    IN    KENTUCKY.  ig> 

grace.  A  number  of  ministers  from  North  Carolina  and 
other  States  came  to  Kentucky  about  this  time,  and  the 
Presbytery,  owing  to  the  increased  number  of  churches 
and  the  great  extent  of  territory,  which  had  no  definite 
limits  on  the  south  and  west,  and  covered  the  settle- 
ments north  of  the  Ohio  River,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Synod  of  Virginia  was  divided  into  three  Presbyteries, 
Transylvania,  West  Lexington  and  Washington.  The 
latter  included  the  churches  in  Kentucky  east  of  the 
Licking  River  and  those  north  of  the  Ohio.  West  Lex- 
ington included  those  west  of  the  Licking,  south  of  the 
Ohio  and  east  of  the  Kentucky  River,  while  Transyl- 
vania covered  the  territory  west  of  the  Kentucky,  includ- 
ing Indiana  and  Tennessee.  This  was  in  1799,  about 
sixteen  years  after  the  advent  of  David  Rice,  the  first 
missionary  of  our  Church  to  enter  Kentucky,  and  the 
number  of  Presbyterian  ministers  had  increased  to 
twenty-six. 

On  October  14th,  1802,  by  authority  of  the  General 
Assembly,  the  Synod  of  Kentucky  was  formed.  The 
organization  took  place  in  Lexington,  and  the  opening 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  David  Rice,*  who  was 
chosen  Moderator.  The  total  number  of  ministers 
within  its  bounds  was  thirty-seven.  Seventeen  only 
were  present,  to-wit :  From  Transylvania,  David  Rice, 
Samuel  Finley,  Matthew  Houston  and  Samuel  Robin- 
son. From  West  Lexington,  James  Crawford,  Samuel 
Shannon,  Isaac  Tull,  Robert  Marshall,  James  Blythe, 
James  Welch,  Joseph  P.  Howe,  John  Lyle  and  Samuel 
Rannells.      From    Washington,   James    Kemper,   John 


*  Isaiah  viii.  20. 


20  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

P.  Campbell,  Richard  McNemar  and  John  Thompson. 
These  seventeen  ministers,  with  thirteen  ruling  elders 
present,  constituted  the  first  Synod  of  Kentucky. 

It  was  not  until  the  year  1814  that  the  Synod  of  Ohio 
was  organized,  holding  its  first  meeting  in  Chillicothe 
on  the  last  Thursday  of  October,  and  from  thenceforth 
the  Ohio  River  constituted  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  Synod  of  Kentucky.  In  1816  the  Synod  asked 
authority  from  the  General  Assembly  to  make  another 
division,  and  in  1817  the  Synod  of  Tennessee  was 
formed,  thus  confining  the  territory  of  the  Synod  of 
Kentucky  to  State  lines. 

Of  all  the  ministers  who  aided  in  the  formatioti  and 
earl}-  building  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentiicky, 
for  wisdom,  orthodoxy  and  advocacy  of  good  order,  for 
amount  of  labor  done  and  good  results  accomplished, 
T\ev.  David  Rice  easily  stands  pre-eminent.  He  was 
born  in  Hanover  County,  Mrginia.  in  December.  1733; 
was  licensed  in  1762;  labored  in  Mrginia  twenty-one 
years,  and  in  Kentucky  thirty-two  years.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  Green  County  in  1816.  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three  years.  It  is  estimated  that  in  the  fifty  years  of 
his  active  labors  fully  one  hundred  thousand  persons 
heard  from  his  lips  the  Gospel  in  its  simplicity,  presented 
with  power,  and  in  unmistakable  terms.''' 

His  name  and  his  good  work  should  be  held  in  grate- 
fid  remem])rance  by  all  Presbyterians,  and  especially  by 
those  of  Kentucky,  ft  is  gratifying  to  note  that  the 
two  Synods  of  Kentucky,  in  just  though  tardy  recogni- 
tion of  his  eminent  worth  and  services,  inaugurated  in 


"'  Bishop's  Memoirs. 


F.AKLV    HISTORY    OF    CHURCH    IN    KENTUCKY.  21 

the  year  1889  a  movement  to  raise  a  suitable  monument 
to  his  memory.  This  after  some  years'  delay  was  finally 
erected  and  dedicated. 

Of  some  of  the  other  ministers  of  that  early  period, 
co-laborers  of  "  Father  Rice,"  mention  will  be  made  in 
another  chapter,  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the 
Benson  Churches  of  Franklin  County,  where  they  min- 
istered, one  as  pastor,  others  as  regular  or  occasional 
supplies. 


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CHAPTER    II. 
UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH. 

The  beginning  of  organized  Presbyterianism  in  what 
is  now  Franklin  County  was  in  the  year  1795,  the  date 
of  the  formation  of  Hogsett  Church,  or,  as  it  was  after- 
ward known,  "  The  Upper  Benson  Church,"  by  which 
latter  name  it  was  entered  upon  the  roll  of  Louisville' 
Presbytery. 

Among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  section  was 
IVIr.  Thomas  Paxton,  who  came  out  from  Virginia  in 
1788.  He  first  went  to  McAfee  Station,  in  the  vicinity 
of  which  he  remained  for  a  few  months,  and  then  located 
his  future  home  on  a  tract  of  land  on  the  waters  of  Little 
Benson  Creek,  which  now  forms  a  part  of  the  southern 
boundary  of  Franklin  County.  His  title  to  the  tract 
was  covered  by  a  military  claim  or  warrant,  granted 
for  services  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  was  signed 
by  Benjamin  Harrison,  Governor  of  Virginia,  dated 
A.D.  1784,  "  and  in  the  year  of  the  Commonwealth  the 
eighth,"  and  embraced  one  thousand  acres.  The  survey 
included  land  on  both  sides  of  the  creek  for  about  one 
mile.  It  was  at  that  time  a  beautiful  perennial  stream, 
fed  by  numerous  fine  springs  and  nourished  by  the 
primeval  forests  through  which  it  flowed.  In  this 
matter  Mr.  Paxton  showed  wisdom  and  foresip"ht,  for 
thereby  he  secured  the  control  of  the  water  privilege, 
which  subsequently  became  a  great  factor  in  his  devel- 
opment of  the  section.  After  selecting  a  site  for  his 
home   and    erecting  a   house,   (a  two-story,   hewed-log 


26  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

building  of  four  rooms,)  making  a  clearing  and  putting 
in  a  crop,  he  returned  to  his  native  place  in  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia,  and  married  Miss  Rebecca  Hogsett, 
with  whoni  he  returned  to  his  new  Kentucky  home  in 
April,  1790. 

Mr.  Paxton  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  force  of 
character,  and,  although  still  under  thirty  years  of  age, 
was  skilled  in  mechanics,  which  accomplishment  was  of 
great  service  in  the  new  country,  where  conveniences 
were  few  and  skilled  v»^orkmen  rare. 

After  establishing  his  home,  being  a  devout  Presby- 
terian, Mr.  Paxton  felt  the  absence  of  the  stated  means 
of  grace,  and  immediately  took  steps  to  secure  the  ben- 
efits of  the  preached  Gospel,  and  to  eventually  establish 
a  church  of  his  own  faith  and  order.  Looking  in  the 
direction,  of  the  churches  of  New  Providence,  Harrods 
Station  and  vicinity,  then  the  principal  source  of  relig- 
ious influence  in  this  section,  he  secured  the  visits  of  a 
number  of  ministerial  brethren,  who  held  religious  serv- 
ices in  this  neighborhood.  Upon  these  occasions  the 
settlers  within  reach  would  assemble,  upon  notification, 
at  the  Paxton  place,  where  the  services  were  usually 
held. 

Am.ong  the  ministers  who  thus  visited  and  preached 
here  in  1792-3  was  Rev.  Cary  H.  Allen,*  one  of  the 
young  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Synod  of  Virginia. 
He  labored  two  years  among  the  scattered  congrega- 
tions, and  then  settled  as  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Paint 
Lick  and  Silver  Creek,  where,  after  a  brief  pastorate,  he 
died  in  1795.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Hampden  Sidney, 
a  very  p()])ular  and  acceptable  preacher,  greatly  beloved 


Minutes  of  Session. 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  27 

by  all  classes  of  the  people,  and  very  successful  in  his 
ministry.  His  death  was  universally  deplored,  as  men 
of  his  talents  and  popular  gifts  were  greatly  needed  at 
the  time.* 

Rev.  William  Calhoun,  who  came  to  Kentucky  with 
Rev.  Gary  Allen,  as  a  missionary  sent  out  by  the  Synod 
of  Virginia  in  1787,  and  who  labored  for  some  years  in 
this  Presbytery,  "  preached  for  this  people  from  time  to 
time."  t  Although  a  young  man,  he  was  a  very  solemn 
and  impressive  preacher,  and  bore  a  very  high  character 
for  godliness  and  consistency.  He  finally  settled  as 
pastor  of  the  churches  at  Ash  Ridge  and  Cherry 
Springs,  which  he  served  for  several  years,  and  then 
returned  to  A'irginia,  where  he  lived  and  labored  to  an 
advanced  age.  * 

Rev.  Samuel  Shannon,  pastor  at  that  time  of  the 
Woodford  Church,  visited  and  preached  regularlv  for 
the  people  of  Little  Benson.  The  section  was  rapidly 
filling  up  with  settlers,  and  in  the  spring  of  1795,  the 
way  seeming  clear,  a  Presbyterian  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  Mr.  Paxton's  house.  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon  was 
the  officiating  minister,  and  Thomas  Paxton  and  Robert 
Amistrong  were  chosen  ruling  elders,  f  Steps  were 
immediately  taken  for  the  erection  of  a  house  of  wor- 
ship. Mr.  Paxton  set  apart,  on  the  extreme  western 
end  of  his  tract,  a  suitable  site  for  church  purposes. 
This  was  on  elevated  ground,  overlooking  for  some 
distance  the  valley  of  Benson,  and  about  a  mile  from 
his  residence. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  a  comfortable  building 

*  Bishop's  Memoirs.  f  Minutes  of  Session. 


28  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

was  finished  and  occupied  by  the  httle  flock.  The  house 
was  a  neat  structure  of  hewed  logs,  compactly  built 
and  closely  joined  with  mortar,  twenty-eight  by  forty 
feet  in  size.  The  work  was  done  by  the  neighbors  and 
friends,  and  out  of  materials  near  at  hand,  from  the 
foundation  of  stone  to  the  wooden  pins  which  held  in 
place  tiie  shingles  of  the  roof.  The  location  was 
admirably  chosen,  beautiful  for  sitviation,  and  acces- 
sible to  the  more  thickly  settled  country  west  of  it, 
anrl  towards  the  village  of  Lawrenceburg,  five  miles 
away.  This  building  served  the  needs  of  the  congre- 
gation during  its  entire  existence.  After  a  few  years, 
hov/ever,  improvements  were  added.  The  entire  out- 
side was  sheathed  with  weatherboarding,  and  the  inte- 
rior lathed  and  plastered.  The  pulpit  was  moved  from 
the  side  to  the  end  of  the  building,  opposite  the  entrance. 
A  schoolhouse  was  built  near  by  and  facing  the  front 
door,  and  an  inclosure  made  for  a  burial  ground. 

This  building  stands  to  this  day,  and  is  a  monument 
to  honest  materials  and  good  work.  The  tim])ers 
remain  soiind,  the  framing  of  the  doors,  windows  and 
roof,  held  together  by  wooden  pins,  are  intact,  and  the 
mortar  (one  of  the  lost  arts)  is  harder  than  stone  itself. 
Emigrants  in  large  numbers  coming  to  the  ^'tate,  this 
section  was  rapidly  filling  up  with  settlers,  and  the  land 
was  all  occupied  speedily,  although  it  was  not  as  yet 
to  any  great  extent  inclosed.  There  were  no  public 
roads,  and  bridle  paths  through  the  woods  and  along 
the  water  courses  were  the  highways  of  communica- 
tion to  those  able  to  ride,  while  many,  less  fortunate, 
had  to  walk.  Notwithstanding  this,  some  who  habit- 
ually attended  the  churcli  walked  five  to  six  miles  to 
enjoy  its  j)rivileges,  and  one  worthy  mother  carried  her 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  29 

infant  that  distance.  In  developing  the  material  inter- 
ests of  the  neighborhood,  Mr.  Paxton,  in  addition  to  a 
tannery  and  sawmill  on  the  stream,  bnilt  and  equipped 
a  grist  mill,  which  was  from  the  beginning  a  success,  as 
these  conveniences  were  much  needed  throughout  the 
country,  and  at  once  superseded  the  family  hand  mills 
and  rude  appliances  for  grinding  corn.  This  "  Paxton's 
Mill ''  became  a  noted  mill  seat,  a  place  of  resort  for 
many  miles  around,  and  especially  when  it  was  greatly 
enlarged  and  improved  for  grinding  wheat,  when  it  was 
for  a  time  the  only  flouring  mill  within  a  large  radius, 
supplying  even  Frankfort  in  part  for  a  period  with  its 
products. 

All  these  public  improvements  added  materially  to 
tlie  growth  and  development  of  the  community,  and 
consequently  to  that  of  the  church.  Though  not  able 
to  employ  a  minister  for  all  his  time,  there  was  preaching 
with  some  regularity  bv  passing  brethren,  and  by  others 
who  were  induced  from  time  to  time  to  come  for  special 
four  days'  services.  Among  these  were  Rev.  William 
Mahon, *  Samuel  Shannon,*  Samuel  Rannells,*  Dr. 
John  P.  Campbell*  and  Samuel  B.  Robertson.* 

A  number  of  additions  to  the  church  at  this  time 
included  some  families  from  the  ''  lower  neighborhood," 
as  it  was  called,  among  whom  were  William  Boyd  and 
Robert  Hamilton,  who  were  elected  elders  and  added 
to  the  session  of  this  church. 

About  1800  and  1801.  during  the  religious  excite- 
ment which  prevailed  throughout  the  State  and  country, 
"  this  little  church  shared,  in  common  with  the  others, 
some  of  the  calamities  as  well  as  the  blessings  for  which 


*  Minutes  of  Session. 


30  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

that  period  was  noted." '^'  Owing,  however,  to  the  coun- 
sels and  influence  of  Rev.  Samuel  Rannells,  together 
with  the  wisdom,  prudence  and  firmness  of  the  session^ 
the  church  was  spared  the  schism  which  rent  many 
others.  In  the  history  of  our  country  there  have  been 
several  noted  and  widespread  revivals  of  religion.  The 
first,  in  1 741,  was  known  as  the  "  Great  Awakening," 
whenWhitefield  came  to  America  and  preached  through- 
out the  colonies  from  Massachusetts  to  Georgia.  Jona- 
than Edwards  in  New  England,  the  Tennants  in  the 
middle  sections,  and  other  eminent  preachers  i'-"  Virginia 
and  the  Caroli'ias,  were  engaged  in  the  work,  which 
continued  for  several  years.  Under  the  influence  of 
this  revival  many  of  our  noted  colleges  were  founded^ 
in  which  was  trained  that  noble  generation  of  Presby- 
terians which  acted  such  a  prominent  part  in  the  stir- 
ring events  of  the  "  Revolution,"  and  in  the  equally 
momentous  and  critical  formative  period  immediately 
following,  in  which  our  National  Constitution  was 
constructed  and  adopted.  The  next  great  revival  was 
at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

Beginning  in  this  State,  it  spread  over  the  whole 
countrv.  East  and  West,  but  was  more  remarkable  in 
some  of  its  features  in  Kentucky  than  elsewhere.  It 
seemed  to  be  a  reaction  against  the  widespread  skepti- 
cism and  decline  in  spirituality  throughout  the  land, 
brought  about  in  a  large  degree  by  association  with  the 
French  Army  and  the  spread  of  infidel  writings,  as  well 
as  the  demoralization  consequent  upon  the  long  and 
soul-trying   war.      This   was   the   era   of  "  Camp-Meet- 

*  Minutes  of  Session. 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  3 1 

ings."  which,  originating  in  Kentucky,  spread  through- 
out all  the  western  country,  and  which,  notwithstanding 
their  many  objectionable  features,  wrought  such  wide- 
spread results  for  good  that  the  movement  has  become 
known  in  religious  history  as  the  *'  Great  Revival." 

During  the  early  years  of  the  century  Upper  Benson 
Church  was  highly  favored  in  having  the  ministrations 
of  some  wise  and  discreet  men.  One  of  these  was 
Rev.  vSamuel  Rannells,  who  was  one  of  the  Synodical 
missionaries  sent  out  from  Virginia  in  1787.  He  was 
pastor  of  the  churches  of  Paris  and  iStoner  Creek  until 
his  death  in  1817.  He  frequently  made  missionary  tours, 
confirming  the  weak  and  struggling  churches,  and  was 
often  a  welcome  visitor  here.  "  He  was  a  zealous  and 
successful  minister,  remarkably  gifted  in  prayer,  solemn 
and  impressive  in  the  pulpit,  always  acceptable  in  his 
ministrations  to  the  pious  and  intelligent  Christians,  but 
unattractive  to  those  without  the  Church.  He  was  of 
great  service  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this  section 
during  the  perilous  times  alluded  to,  in  maintaining  its 
purity  and  orthodoxy,  and  confirming  and  strengthening 
it  in  the  faith.  * 

Another  minister  who  occasionally,  during  several 
years,  preached  here  was  Dr.  John  P.  Campbell.  He 
came  from  Virginia  while  yet  a  lad,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  pupils  in  Transylvania  Grammar  School,  under  the 
teaching  of  Rev.  David  Rice.  He  completed  his  edu- 
cation at  Hampden  Sidney,  and  in  1787  was  another  of 
the  party  of  young  missionaries  sent  out  by  the  Svnod 
of  Virginia  to  Kentucky.  His  first  charge  was  Flem- 
ingsburg,  and  he  labored  afterward  for  eighteen  years 


*  Bishop's  History. 


32  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

in  Danville,  \ersailles,  Nicholasville,  Lexington,  Mercer 
and  Franklin  Counties.  *  In  1811  he  officiated  as  chap- 
lain to  the  Kentucky  Legislature.  In  18 13  he  removed 
to  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  where  he  died  the  following  year. 
All  accounts  agree  that  Dr.  Campbell  was  the  most  bril- 
liant and  best  equipped  mentally  of  all  the  preachers  of 
Kentucky  in  his  time.  He  was  the  author  of  a  number 
of  v.'orks  of  high  merit,  successfully  combating  the 
errors  of  the  day.  In  an  extended  sketch  by  one  who 
was  associated  with  him  it  was  said  that  "  he  was  dis- 
tinguished as  a  naturalist,  was  an  accomplished  linguist, 
an  able  logician,  an  eloquent  speaker  and  writer,  a  skilled 
physician,  a  sound  and  judicious  divine,  and  a  zealous 
and  evangelical  preacher  of  the  Gospel." f 

Rev.  Archibald  Cameron,  ministering  to  the  churches 
at  Shelbyville  and  Mulberry,  frequently  preached  at 
Upper  Benson,  and  held  protracted  meetings,  and  for 
a  time  supplied  the  pulpit  regularly  once  a  month.  The 
"  protracted  meetings  "  were  at  that  time  seasons  of 
great  interest,  and  continued  usually  four  days,  with 
two  or  more  ministers  present.  The  congregations 
were  large,  for  the  people  attended,  whatever  the  dis- 
tance. Mr.  Cameron  studied  divinity  with  Rev.  David 
Rice.  He  came,  while  yet  a  child,  with  his  parents 
from  Scotland,  and  grew  up  in  Nelson  County.  He 
was  ordained  in  1796,  and  after  six  years  took  charge 
of  the  Shelby  Churches,  which  he  served  continuously 
until  his  death  in  1836.  With  these  churches  as  a 
center,  his  labors  extended  over  the  neighboring  coun- 
ties. He  was  a  preacher  of  great  eloquence  and  power, 
and  as  a  sound  and  doctrinal  divine  had  no  superior  in 


*  Bishop's  History.  f  Bishop's  Memoirs. 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  33 

the  Synod,  In  the  troublous  discussions  and  schisms 
of  the  early  church  he  was  always  found  on  the  side  of 
orthodoxy  and  good  order,  and  was  of  great  service  to 
all  those  to  whom  he  ministered  in  maintaining-  them  in 
the  purity  of  their  faith.  * 

In  1806  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon  severed  his  connection 
with  the  Woodford  Church  and  removed  to  Franklin 
County,  where  he  became  pastor  of  Upper  Benson  and 
Lower  Benson  Churches.  The  latter  had  been  recently 
organized,  a  number  of  persons,  including  Robert  Arm- 
strong, an  elder,  having  been  dismissed  by  Upper  Ben- 
son to  aid  in  its  formation.  Mr.  Shannon  served  these 
churches  until  the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  181 2,  when 
he  entered  the  army  as  chaplain  of  one  of  the  Kentucky 
regiments.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton  under  the 
pre.'^idency  of  Dr.  Jonn  Witherspoon,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  three  ministers  of  our  Church  who  settled  north  of 
the  Kentucky  River  in  this  territory.  After  the  war  he 
engaged  in  missionary  work,  mostly  north  of  the  Ohio 
River,  though  still  retaining  his  home  here.  In  1822, 
while  on  one  of  his  tours  in  Indiana,  he  contracted  a 
fever,  and  was  met  on  his  returning  journey  by  his 
family  just  in  time  to  receive  his  dying  blessing.  He 
was  a  zealous  and  indefatigable  minister,  but  owing  to 
an  awkward  and  unattractive  manner  and  hesitancy  of 
speech,  he  was  not  a  popular  preacher.  He  was  a  man 
of  immense  frame  and  great  physical  power,  and  many 
stories  were  rold  of  his  wonderful  feats  of  strength  and 
prowess  during  the  war,  in  which,  although  a  chaplain, 
he  took  an  active  part  in  the  fighting.  He  was  very 
highly  esteemed  for  his  uniform  kindness  of  heart  and 


*  Bi.shop's  Memoirs. 


34  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

good  nature,  and  was  always  a  welcome  guest.  His 
remains  were  buried  at  Upper  Benson  church,  where 
his  monument  still  stands  under  the  shadow  of  this 
historic  old  building. 

After  JMr.  Shannon's  departure  the  church  was  in 
a  low  state  of  life  and  activity  for  several  years.  A 
number  of  the  prominent  members  had  left  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  Mr.  Thomas  Paxton,  one  of  the  elders, 
had  temporarily  removed  his  membership  to  Frankfort, 
to  assist  in  organizing  a  church  there.  The  congrega- 
tion had  to  again  depend  upon  irregular  supplies,  and 
those  sent  occasionally  by  Presbytery  to  hold  four  days' 
meetings  and  administer  the  sacraments.  Following  the 
"  Great  Revival,"  which  began  with  the  century  and  con- 
tinued several  years,  there  had  come  (as  is  usually  the 
case)  a  great  spiritual  dearth  in  all  the  churches,  many 
of  them  receiving  very  few  or  no  accessions  at  all  for 
ten  or  fifteen  years.  Among  the  ministers  who  came 
to  the  help  of  the  church  at  this  period  was  Rev.  EH 
Smith,  of  Frankfort,  who  was  in  1824  induced  to  supply 
the  pulpit  statedly  once  a  month.  *  Shortly  after  this 
the  church  took  on  a  new  lease  of  life  and  activity.  It 
was  about  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  another  "  Revival 
Rpoch  "  in  the  Church  at  large.  Under  the  influence 
of  this  awakening  Upper  Benson  Church  was  reorgan- 
ized. Mr.  James  Miller  and  James  Hutton  were  made 
ruling  elders.  Mr.  Thomas  Paxton  brought  back  his 
membership  from  Frankfort  and  was  again  added  to 
the  session,  and  a  considerable  number  of  persons  were 
added  to  the  membership.  Rev.  Eli  Smith  was  largely 
instrumental  in  this  good  work,  and  his  kind  of^ces  and 


''^  Minutes- of  Session. 


UPPER   BENSON    CHURCH  35 

ministrations  were  never  forgotten  by  the  church.  He 
continued  to  preach  for  it  even  after  he  had  given  up 
the  Frankfort  charge,  and  prior  to  his  removal  to  Paris, 
in  1829.  In  the  year  1828  this  session  was  called  upon 
to  aid  in  the  formation  of  a  church  in  the  town  of 
Lawrenceburg,  about   four  or  five  miles  distant.  * 

"  This  little  town  previous  to  1828  was  wholly 
given  to  ungodliness.  Wickedness  of  almost  every 
kind  reigned  unmolested,  and  it  was  impossible  to 
induce  the  inhabitants  to  attend  upon  the  preaching  of 
a  passing  minister,  and  those  who  had  formerly  visited 
the  place  had  become  discouraged  and  long  since  ceased 
their  visits.*  In  1828  a  praying  man  took  up  his  resi- 
dence here.  He  engaged  in  family  worship,  and  thereby 
attracted  the  notice  of,  and  afiforded  amusement  to,  the 
town,  and  when  he  appointed  a  public  prayer  meeting, 
none  but  the  blacks  could  be  induced  to  attend.  But 
being  a  man  of  perseverance  as  well  as  of  faith,  he 
continued  to  ])ray,  and  after  a  time  his  prayers  were 
answered,  and  scolTs  and  sneers  were  changed  to  tears 
and  supplications.  He  arranged  for  a  four  days'  meet- 
ing, beginning  on  ]\Iay  30th,  1828.  The  ministers  pres- 
ent were  Dr.  Thomas  Cleland,  Reverends  Smith,  For- 
syth, and  Moreland,  together  with  the  session  of  Upper 
Benson  Church,  in  the  neighborhood.  With  Mr.  More- 
land  as  moderator,  the  session  received  upon  examina- 
tion and  profession  of  faith  a  number  of  persons.  A 
deep  impression  was  made  upon  the  large  audiences  in 
attendance,  which  continued  and  deepened  until  twenty- 
five  persons  were  received  upon  profession."* 

At   a   meeting  of  session  a   few  davs   later  twelve 


"•''  Minutes  of  Lawrencebtirsr  Church. 


36  HISTORY    OF"    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

more  persons  were  added.  A  church  was  at  once 
formed,  with  Fielding  L.  Connor  and  W.  K.  Van  Arsdale, 
elders,  and  a  number  of  persons  were  at  the  same  time 
received  by  letter  from  the  Upper  Benson  Church.  * 
At  a  four  days'  sacramental  meeting,  conducted  at 
Upper  Benson  Church  in  the  month  of  June,  1829, 
conducted  by  Revs.  John  Jones,  Andrew  Shannon  and 
James  Hawthorn,  a  very  large  congregation  was  present, 
and  a  new  enrollment  of  the  members  was  made,  and 
the  following  persons  were  received  upon  profession  of 
faith:  Mrs.  Margerite  Russell,  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Jett, 
Miss  Ann  Black  and  Mrs.  Margerite  McGill.  At  a 
congregational  meeting  held  shortly  afterward,  moder- 
ated by  Rev.  John  Jones,  Rev.  James  Hawthorn  was 
elected  pastor  by  unanimous  vote,  and  duly  installed  by 
Louisville  Presbytery  in  November  following,  at  which 
time  James  McBrayer  and  Matthew  Davidson  were 
added  to  the  session,  and  H.  McBrayer  and  John  H. 
Paxton  elected  deacons.  Mr.  Hawthorn  was  at  the 
same  time  installed  pastor  of  the  Lawrenceburg  Church, 
giving  to  each  church  one-half  his  time. 

On  March  21st,  1830,  twenty-one  persons  were  dis- 
missed to  the  "  Lower  Benson  Church,"  to  aid  in  its 
reorganization,  and  several  members  were  added  here 
upon  certificate,  among  whom  were  Fielding  L.  Connor 
and  wife,  from  Lawrenceburg,  and  Mr.  Connor,  being  a 
ruling  elder,  was  added  to  the  session  of  this  church. 

Mr.  Hawthorn  resigned  the  pastorate  in  1835,  and 
the  church  was  again  for  a  time  without  the  means  of 
grace,  except  such  as  were  supplied  by  Presbytery  once 
every  three  months  during  the  pleasant  seasons  of  the 


*  Minutes  of  l,a\vn'nccburar  Church. 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  37 

year,  and  preaching  about  once  a  month  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Baker,  of  Frankfort.  Pvcv.  John  D.  Paxton,  of  Shelby 
County,  frequently  visited  his  relatives  and  many  friends 
here,  upon  which  occasions  he  always  preached  at  the 
church.  He  had  recently  returned  from  a  two  years' 
residence  in  Palestine  and  extensive  travels  in  the  Old 
World,  a  very  imusual  achievement  at  that  day,  and 
was  much  sought  after  and  welcomed  by  the  churches. 
Our  Assembly  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  had  not  as 
yet  been  organized,  but  the  attention  of  this  church 
had  been  to  some  extent  enlisted  in  this  cause  by  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  Missions.  Rev.  Mr.  Paxton  was  the  solicit- 
ing agent  for  this  Board  for  several  years,  and  made 
regular  visits  and  collections  here  for  that  cause. 
The  following  ministers  also  preached  here  during  the 
interim:*  M.  A.  Remley,  H.  H.  Hopkins,  Joseph 
Huber  and  David  Todd,  holding  sacramental  meetings 
by  appointm.ent  of  the  Presbytery. 

In  1838  Rev.  D.  M.  Winston,  who  had  visited  and 
preached  here  while  pastor  of  Bethel  Church,  removed 
to  this  church  and  became  stated  supply.  During  his 
ministry  here,  being  in  feeble  health,  he  was  often  vis- 
ited and  assisted  by  his  intimate  friend  and  associate, 
Rev.  Joseph  C.  Stiles,  with  whom  he  had  recently  emi- 
grated from  the  South,  and  who  ministered  to  a  group 
of  churches  in  Woodford  County.  Mr.  Winston  died 
in  1840,  liavmg  supplied  the  church  about  two  years 
very  acceptably.  He  was  very  highly  esteenied  and 
respected  by  the  congregation,  and  his  death  was 
greatly  lamented.  He  left  a  son  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  vet  living.     His  remains  were  buried 


*  Minutes  of  Session. 


38  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

beside  those  of  his  predecessor.  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon, 
the  first  pastor,  in  the  Uttle  God's  acre  on  the  hill.  In 
the  spring  01  1841  Rev.  Ephraim  K.  Lynn,  who  had 
been  statedly  supplying  Lower  Benson  Church,  con- 
sented to  give  one-half  his  time  to  Upper  Benson. 
This  arrangement  was  approved  by  Presbytery  at  its 
regular  meeting  here,  at  which  time  iSIr.  Lynn  was 
duly  installed,  and  at  a  congregational  meeting  Mr. 
J.  A.  Kellogg  was  added  to  the  session. 

In  1842,  August  1st,  a  protracted  meeting  was 
opened  in  this  neighborhood,  and  continued  ten  days. 
It  strongly  resembled  in  some  of  its  features  the  camp- 
meetings  of  the  previous  generation.  Preparations 
were  made  on  a  large  scale,  ministers  invited,  and 
accommodations  provided  for  distant  visitors.  The 
locality  selected  was  Franklin  Springs,  formerly  known 
as  Scantlan's  Springs,  and  afterward  as  the  Kentucky 
Military  Institute.''  These  springs,  situated  on  the 
"  Harrodsburg  Public  Road,"  six  miles  from  Frank- 
fort, had  for  years  been  noted  for  the  medicinal  quali- 
ties of  the  waters.  FJuildings  had  been  erected  for  the 
temporary  sojourn  of  invalids  and  visitors  from  a  dis- 
tance, which  included  a  main  building  and  two  rows  of 
cottages,  ten  in  each,  on  either  side.  .\  large  and  hand- 
some pavilion,  to  be  used  for  dancing,  covered  the  main 
spring,  which  was  surrounded  by  a  natural  amphitheater. 
Dr.  Joseph  Roberts,  of  Frankfort,  was  the  physician  in 
charge,, and  the  springs  for  a  time  became  a  popular 
resort.  The  gay  and  fashionable  people  of  the  neigh- 
borh(^od,  of  Frankfc^rt  and  Lawrenceburg,  frequently 
resorted  hither  in  pleasant  weather  for  dancing  parties. 


Now  the  Stewart  Home 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH. 


39 


which  at  that  time  was  the  absorbing  amusement.  This 
was  all  effectually  broken  up  by  the  camp-meeting,  in 
which  many  of  the  dancers  were  converted,  and  the 
noted  dancing  master  and  teacher  from  Frankfort,  a 
Mr.  Gaitber,  who  came  to  scoff,  remained  to  pray,  made 
a  public  profession,  and  renounced  his  former  calling. 
The  services  were  conducted  in  the  grove  around  the 
main  spring  and  pavilion.  The  sessions  of  the  two 
Benson  Churches  attended  daily,  and  with  Mr.  Lvnn 
as  moderator,  received  a  large  number  of  persons,  some 
joining  these  churches  and  many  'going  to  churches 
-elsewhere. 

Mr.  Lvnn  resigned  and  removed  to  another  State 
in  1843,  and  closed  the  last  regular  pastorate  of  this 
church.  The  church  then  had  to  return  to  the  unsatis- 
factory arrangement  of  occasional  supplies,  without  a 
resident  shepherd.  Rev.  John  Montgomery.  John  D. 
Paxton.  Sylvester  Scovill,  A.  A.  Shannon,  James  Haw- 
thorn atid  J.  J.  Bullock  were  among  those  who  preached 
here  in  1843  and  1844,  some  of  them  by  appointment  of 
Presbytery,  the  others  upon  invitation  of  the  church. 
In  June.  1844,  the  church  sustained  a  great  loss  in  the 
death  of  Mr.  Thomas  Paxton,  one  of  its  founders  and 
its  chief  and  m_osr  influential  elder  and  promoter.  The 
funeral  service  was  conducted  by  Rev.  James  Hawthorn, 
a  former  pastor,  who  also  paid  an  eloquent  tribute  to 
M-.  Paxton,  which  appeared  in  the  Protestant  Herald 
at  the  time,  and  which  is  given  in  another  place  in  this 
chapter 

Rev.  D.  C.  Proctor,  residing  in  Frankfort,  supplied 
the  pulpit  of  Upper  Benson  Church  during  the  summer 
of  1845,  and  Mr.  Hawthorn,  having  returned  to  reside 
m    Lawrenceburg.   occasionally   held    meetings    in    this 


40  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CtlUKCH,    FRANKFORT. 

his  old  charge,  and  achninistered  the  ordinances.  .The 
last  minister  who  regularly  supplied  Upper  Benson 
Church  was  Rev.  Ben  Mills,  of  Frankfort,  who  divided 
his  time  between  it  and  Macedonia  Church,  Woodford 
County.     This  was  in  1847. 

In  consecjuence  of  deaths  and  removals,  the  member- 
ship of  the  church  had  become  so  reduced  in  number 
that  in  1848  the  remaining  few,  the  elders  all  having 
died  or  gone  elsewhere,  concluded  to  disband.  The 
greater  part  joined  the  Lower  Benson  or  Franklin 
Church  ;  others,  on  the  Anderson  County  side,  went  to 
Lawrenceburg,  and  a  few  united  with  Frankfort  Church. 

The  Upper  Benson  Church  had  been  in  existence 
about  fifty  years,  and  filled  an  important  and  influential 
place  in  its  time.  It  was  the  first  church  organized  in 
this  countv,  and  the  first  of  our  faith  and  order  in  this 
immediate  section  south  of  the  Kentucky  River.  Dur- 
ing its  life  it  had  at  different  times  the  ministrations  of 
some  of  the  best  and  most  noted  preachers  in  the  State, 
and  with  few  exceptions  the  ministers  who  served  it 
were  of  more  than  average  ability.  Two  of  these  died 
on  the  field,  and  were  buried  under  the  shadow  of  its 
walls. 

The  eldership  of  Upper  Benson  Church,  while  at  no 
time  composed  of  educated  and  highly  cultured  men, 
was  noted  for  its  sturdy  and  unwavering  adherence  to 
orthodoxy  and  the  distinctive  principles  of  our  Church, 
and  owing  largely  to  this  the  unity  and  purity  of  the 
body  were  maintained  to  the  end.  A  large  part  of  the 
records  is  taken  up  with  judicial  proceedings  and  trials 
of  ofifending  members.  The  principal  causes  of  offense 
were  habitual  absence  from  service  and  "  intemperate 
use  of  ardent  spirits."'     One  case,  however,  between  two 


UPPER    BKNSON    CHURCH.  4I 

prominent  members,  one  an  elder,  arising  from  a  breach 
of  the  ninth  commandment,  assumed  such  proportions 
that  it  required  the  presence  and  action  of  a  commission 
of  Presbytery  to  settle  it.  Another  case,  in  1830,  of 
very  unusual  character,  was  for  a  breach  of  the  sixth 
commandment  of  the   Decalogue.     The   record   reads: 

"  Whereas,  Mr.  Wm.  Johnson,  a  member  of  this 
church,  has  been  arraigned  before  the  tribunal  of  his 
country  for  a  breach  of  the  sixth  commandment  on  the 
eighth  day  of  February  last,  and  by  said  tribunal  has 
been  found  guilty,  and  duly  condemned ;    and, 

"  Whereas,  On  account  of  some  defect  in  the  legal 
proceedings  he  has  obtained  a  new  hearing,  and  for  this 
is  waiting  in  confinement,  thus  being  unable  to  appear 
before  this  session  ;    therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  session  will  withhold  its  full 
investigation  of  the  case  and  final  action  until  the  case 
be  issued  by  the  civil  court." 

And  the  minutes  show  that,  although  W.  J.  did  finally 
escape  punishment,  on  account  of  some  technicality,  in 
the  civil  court,  he  was  duly  tried  by  the  session,  found 
guilty,  and  excluded  from  the  church. 

Although  the  benevolent  operations  of  our  General 
Assembly  were  as  yet  in  a  formative  state,  and  only  two 
or  three  of  the  Boards  had  been  organized,  this  little 
country  church  was  in  full  sympathy  with  all  such  work, 
and  contributed  cheerfully  to  every  good  cause  that  the 
session  allowed  to  be  presented.  Prior  to  the  formation 
of  our  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  this  church  contrib- 
uted regularly  to  this  cause  through  the  American  Z' 
Board.  The  session  in  1830  took  high  ground  on  thy^^  ^r 
subject  of  education  for  the  ministry.     Thev  may  ha^^         "Sf'  \^* 


'"s" 


42  HISTORY    0[-    I-IRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

in  their  own  experience  seen  the  need  of  better  prep- 
aration for  the  office.  The  following  minute  is  good 
reading  for  their  descendants  and  the  Church  to-day: 

"  In  view  of  the  destitution  of  the  stated  means  of 
grace  in  the  dispensation  of  the  word  and  ordinances 
of  (jod  in  our  own  land,  and  reflecting  upon  the  con- 
dition of  the  nations  of  the  earth  still  shrouded  in 
nature's  dark'ues.^  and  believing  that  the  command  of 
the  Redeemer,  to  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  was  deliv- 
ered to  his  church  and  is  still  obligatory  upon  it,  and 
feeling  and  acknowledging  that  we,  and  all  we  have,  are 
the  IvOrd's,  and  as  his  stewards  will  ere  long  be  required 
to  give  him  a  strict  account  of  every  talent,  we.  the 
session  of  ITpper  Benson  Church,  do  most  earnestly  call 
upon  all  the  members  of  this  church  to  take  this  matter 
into  their  serious  and  prayerful  consideration.  And 
we  do  further  resolve,  that,  being  a  branch  of  Christ's 
Church,  we  are  under  obligations  to  use  our  exertions, 
as  God  may  favor  us,  in  training  young  men  for  the 
gospel  ministry,  and  as  officers  of  the  church,  according 
to  Scriptural  order,  we  feel  it  to  be  our  duty  and  privi- 
lege to  take  the  superintendence  of  this  matter  and 
press  it  upon  the  congregation.  And  we  do  now  earn- 
estly urge  upon  every  member  of  this  church  to  con- 
tribute annually,  as  God  may  have  prospered  them,  to 
the  cause  of  education  as  operated  by  our  General 
Assembly." 

In  the  history  of  this  church  one  man  stands  out 
pro;iiinently  as  its  mainstay  and  support.  The  follow- 
ing obittiary  notice  of  him  appeared  in  the  Protestant 
Herald  of  June  T5*:h,  1844: 


UPPER    BENSON    CHURCH.  43 

"  In  Franklin  County,  at  his  residence,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  8th  inst.,  Mr.  Thomas  Paxton,  in  the  eighty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  been  a  ruhng  elder  in 
Upper  Benson  Church  since  its  organization  in  1795, 
and  may  truly  be  said  to  have  been  the  main  support 
thereof.  He  was  one  of  the  few  remaining  soldiers  of 
the  Revolution,  and  lived  an  honest  man,  a  sincere  and 
•devoted  Christian,  and  was  respected  and  beloved  by  all 
who  knew  him.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  a  very 
large  concourse  of  citizens,  neighbors  and  friends,  who 
assembled  to  testify  their  respect  to  the  deceased.  The 
occasion  was  improved  by  a  sermon  by  Rev.  James  Haw- 
thorn from  the  words,  '  Help,  Lord ;  the  godly  man 
ceaseth,  and  the  righteous  fail  from  the  earth.'  " 

In  a  subsequent  issue  of  the  same  paper  Mr.  Haw- 
thorn, his  former  pastor,  has  the  following  communi- 
cation : 

"  Although  indisposed  to  eulogize  the  dead  or  flatter 
the  livir.g.  the  writer  deems  the  death  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Paxton  an  occasion  not  only  justifying,  but  demanding 
a  more  extended  notice  than  is  common  or  called  for 
in  other  cases.  A  very  few  vestiges  remain  of  a  gen- 
eration of  men  who  were  manifestly  raised  up  and 
qualified  bv  the  Disposer  of  all  events  for  a  momentous 
work.  As  from  time  to  time  they  drop  into  the  grave, 
it  is  wise  for  u=  to  consider  carefully  how  they  acted 
their  part  in  life,  that  we  may  profit  by  their  experience. 

"  Mr.  Paxton  was  born  in  Rockbridge  County,  Vir- 
g;inia.  November  15th,  1761.  Of  his  youthful  days  we 
have  but  little  mform.ition.  We  are  assured,  however, 
that  young  as  he  was,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
bloody  yet   glorious   struggle  by  which   our  independ- 


44  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

ence  was  achieved.  Thoui^h  not  yet  twenty  years  of 
age,  he  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the 
surrender  of  CornwalHs,  and  was  one  of  the  guard 
appointed  over  the  person  of  that  distinguished  captive. 

"  In  the  fall  of  1788  he  came  to  this  country,  having 
been  married  the  3'ear  previously  to  Rebecca  Hogsett. 
He  first  came  to  McAfee's  Station,  but  soon  after  settled 
in  the  place  where  he  closed  his  mortal  career.  This 
was  then  a  wilderness,  almost  untrodden  except  by 
savage  foot.  Shortly  before  this  time,  having  fought 
his  country's  battles,  he  had  enlisted  under  the  standard 
of  the  great  Captain  of  salvation,  and  in  his  new  resi- 
dence one  of  his  first  cares  was  to  secure  the  enjoyment 
of  a  preached  gospel. 

"  In  1795  the  Upper  Benson  Church  was  organized, 
and  ^Ir.  Paxton  was  made  one  of  its  ruling  elders.  This 
ofHce  he  continued  to  sustain  in  it  until  released  by 
death.  And  so  faithfully,  zealously  and  acceptably  did 
he  discharge  the  duties  of  his  station  that  he  justly 
earned  for  himself  the  reputation  of  being  'the  pillar  of 
the  church,'  Christ  being  the  only  foundation.  In  the 
remarkable  excitement  which  prevailed  in  our  State 
about  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  its 
attendant  calamities  as  well  as  blessings  were  felt  deeply 
in  this  congregation.  But  in  the  midst  of  the  defection 
of  some  and  the  confusion  and  consternation  of  nearly 
all,  Thomas  Paxton,  like  the  faithful  sentinel,  was  found 
standing  fearlessly  at  his  post,  and  as  the  judicious  pilot 
no  doubt  exerted  a  most  happy  influence  in  guiding  this 
little  barque  safely  through  the  tempest.  And  having, 
as  Caleb  and  Joshua,  by  divine  grace  '  followed  the  Lord 
fully,'  he  realized  even  on  earth  in  a  high  degree  the 
blessing  promised  to  such.     He  was  permitted  to  see 


UPnjR    BENSON    CHURCH. 


45 


all  his  surviving  children  the  hopeful  followers  of  the 
Lamb,  to  v/itness  several  glorious  instances  of  the  out- 
pouring of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  this  region,  to  enjoy 
universally  the  good-will  and  respect  of  his  acquaint- 
ances, the  habitual  sweets  of  communion  with  God.  and 
the  bright  assurance,  as  he  approached  his  death,  of  a 
place  in  the  mansions  of  rest  and  immortal  glory. 

''To  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member  and 
officer  from  its  organization,  his  death  is  a  loss  not  soon 
to  be  repaired.  To  the  neighborhood,  in  which  for  h.alf 
a  century  he  has  been  acting  the  part  of  'the  good 
vSamaritan,'  who  shall  be  found  to  fill  his  place?  But 
his  family,  and  especially  the  bereaved  companion  of 
his  bosom,  now  bowed  down  beneath  the  afflictions  of 
life  and  the  infirmities  of  age,  feel  most  sensibly  the  void 
that  has  been  created  by  his  departure.  Still  none  can 
murmur.- for  he  has  descended  to  the  grave  as  'a  shock 
of  corn  fully  ripe  in  his  season,'  for  '  he  was  a  good 
man.  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  faith.'  '  Mark  the  per- 
fect man,  and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that 
man  is  peace.'  j^  " 


46  JIISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

LIST    OF    MINISTERS. 

Including  those  who  were  pastors  and  stated  supplies,. 

together  with  otiiers  who  were  pastors  elsewhere,  and 

supplied  this  church  at  the  same  time : 

Rev.  Samuel   Rannells 1799 — 1800 

Dr.  John  B.  Campbell 1800 — 1802 

Rev.  Archibald  Cameron 1803 — 1805 

Rev.  Samuel  Shannon i8ot) — 1812 

Rev.  EH  Smith 1824 — 1829 

Rev.  James  Hawthorn 1829 — 1837 

Rev.  D.  M.  Winston 1838— 1840 

Rev.  E.   K.   Lvnn 1840 — 1843 

Rev.  D.  C.   Proctor 1845 

Rev.  Benjamin  Mills ■. 1846 — 1847 

The  pastors  of  the  Frankfort  Church,  Rev.  Drs. 
Edgar,  Baker  and  Bullock,  during  their  respective  terms 
of  office,  supplied  this  church  during  the  vacancies  of 
its  pulpit,  preaching  regularly  Sabbath  afternoons  dur- 
ing the  pleasant  seasons  of  the  year.  Upon  these  occa- 
sions the  two  Benson  congregations  usually  worshiped 
together. 


RULING  ELDERS. 

Thomas  Paxton 1795 — 1844 

Robert  Armstrong 1795 — 1806 

Robert  Hamilton 1800 — 1830 

William  Boyd 1800 — 1830 

James   Hutton 1827 — 1837 

Henry  Miller 1827 — 1840 

Matthew  Da\  idscm 1830 — 1845 

James  McBrayer 1830 — 1846 

Fielding  L.  Connor 1835 — 1846 

J.  .\.  Kellogg 1841— 1846 


DEACONS. 

Barclay  Goodwin 1841  — 1846 

John   H.   Paxton 1841  — 1846 


UPPER   BENSON    CHURCH. 


47 


LIST  OF   MEMBERS. 


Thomas  Paxion. 
Rebecca  Hogsett  Paxton. 
James  Hutton. 
Hannah  Hutton. 
WilHam  Boyd. 
Nancy  Boyd. 
Jerry  Ford. 
Artemesia  Ford. 
James  Paxton. 
John   Hutton. 
Hamilton  Crockett 
Abram  Cofer. 
Barbara   Cofer. 
Mrs.   Martha  Shannon. 
Mrs.   Frances  Bennett. 
Mrs.  Margaret  Latta. 
J.  Bacon  Bush. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Bush. 
Matthew  Davidson. 
Elizabeth  Davidson. 
Barclay   Goodwin. 
Hannah  Goodwin. 
Miss  Elizabeth  Paxton. 
Miss   Jane    Paxton. 
William  Johnson. 
Sarah  Johnson. 
Tames  Reading. 
Mary  Robinson. 
Timothy  Mayhall. 
Esther    Mayhall. 
Miss  Mary  T.  Paxton. 
Nancy    Richardson. 
Marguerite  Alexander. 
Mary   McKendrick. 
Lucy  Milam. 
J.  A.  Kellogg. 
Mrs.   Margerite  McGill. 
Mrs.    Margerite    Russell. 
Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Jett. 


Robert   Armstrong. 

Jane  Armstrong. 

Hankersoon   Reed. 

Eleanor  Reed. 

Robert  Hamilton. 

Mary  Hamilton. 

James  McBrayer. 

Jane  McBrayei. 

Elizabeth   McBrayer. 

Hiram   IMcBrayer. 

John    .McGill. 

J.  A.  McGill. 

Samuel  Richardson. 

William  Rice. 

Mrs.   Elizabeth   Wash. 

Miss   Martha   Wash. 

Mrs.  Ann  Sharp. 

Miss  Nancy  Sharp. 

Hugh  Alexander. 

Elizabeth  Sharpe. 

Miss    Martha    Shannon. 

Sarah  Sharp. 

John   H.   Paxton. 

Ellen  Clark. 

George  Williams. 

John    Reading. 

George  Reading. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Richardson. 

Miss  Rebecca  Richardson. 

Mary    Goodwin. 

Miss  Rebecca  G.  Paxton. 

Miss  Sarah  E.   Paxton. 

Miss  Jane  Black. 

Miss  Jane  Mayhall. 

Miss  Ann  Black. 

James  Waddell. 

Mrs.  Jane  A.   McGill. 

Miss    Nancy   Twyman. 

Allen   Utley. 


48 


HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


Miss  Susan  Bush. 
Miss  Sarah  Bush. 
George  McCormack. 
Samuel   Reynolds. 
Sebritt  Tracey. 
Charles   Carter. 
Mrs.   Elizabeth   Brown. 
Miss  Eliza  Brown. 
James  Davidson. 
Abraham   Sharpe. 
Miss   Elizabeth   McGinnis. 
Mrs.  Ann  Sharpe. 
Mrs.  Mary  H.   McGiil. 
Marcia  McBrayer. 
Miss  Elizabeth  McBrayer. 
James   Reed. 
Fielding  L.  Conno». 
Samuel  Shannon. 
Miss  Jane  Hamilton. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  McFall. 
Mrs.  Rachel  Woodbury. 
Mrs.  Fidelia  Kellogg. 
Miss  Mary  Utley. 
Mrs.   Charles   Carter. 
Henrietta   Shannon. 
Miss  Mary  N.  Connor. 
Mrs.  Daniel  Carlin. 
Miss  Rebecca   Davidson. 
Mrs.   Frances  Nelson. 
Miss  Eliza  Shannon. 
Miss  Martha  Ann  Shannon. 
Mrs.  Abigail  P.  Briggs. 
Sam  (a  slave). 
Hannah  (a  slave). 
Mahala  (a  slave). 

Nancy  (a 


Matthew  McGill. 
■     John  A.  McGill. 
Henry  Utley. 
Miss  Mahala  McGill. 
William  Utley. 
Mar}'  Shannon. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lane. 
William   Davidson. 
William    Long. 
Wm.  M.  Sutton. 
Benoni   Nelson. 
William    Nelson. 
Charles  Rice. 
Mrs.  Pauline  Baker. 
Mary  (a  slave). 
Ann  (a  slave). 
Mrs.  Jane  Connor. 
Norman   Green. 
Margerite  Tracey. 
Jane  Chapman 
Mrs.  Ann  Tracey. 
Martha  Theobald. 
Miss  Sarah  Corban. 
Miss  Kitty  .\nn  Corban. 
Rebecca  Satterwhite. 
Mrs.  H.  B.  Lynn. 
Mrs.   Nancy  Utley. 
Miss  Mary  Jane  Latta. 
Mrs.  Susanna  Sutton. 
Miss  Sarah   Ford. 
James  Ford. 
Miss  Clarissa  Ford. 
Miss  Mary  Ford. 
Miss  Elizabeth  Ford. 
Julia  Ann  (a  slave). 
slave). 


CHAPTER    III. 
LOWER    BENSON    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  formed  during  the  early  rears  of 
the  century,  about  1805.  The  name  of  the  officiating 
minister  is  not  positively  known,  but  several  circum- 
stances point  to  Rev.  Samuel  Shannon  as  the  one  who 
acted  in  that  capacity.  Besides  being' the  nearest  resi- 
dent Presbyterian  minister,  he  had  some  years  before 
this  organized  Upper  Benson  Church,  and  being  a  reg- 
ular visitor  to  that  congregation,  he  was  well  and  favor- 
ably known  in  this  neighborhood  also.  Among  the 
first  members  were :  Robert  Armstrong  and  Jane,  his 
wife:  John  and  Martha  Wilson,  James  and  Rebecca 
Boyd,  John  and  Margerite  Robinson,  Hamilton  and 
Frances  Crockett,  Elizabeth  Logan,  Elizabeth  Milam, 
Mary  Wilson,  Catherine  Bennett,  Jane  Kennidy,  Nanc}' 
Arnold,  Jane  Boyd,  Nancy  McClosky,  Mary  Bennett, 
vSarah  Bennett  and  Elizabeth  Wilson.  Robert  Arm- 
strong, who  had  been  an  elder  in  the  Upper  Benson 
Church,  was  elected  to  the  ofifice  here,  and  with  Ham- 
ilton Crockett  constituted  the  first  session.  A  house 
of  worship,  of  the  usual  type  of  the  period,  was  erected 
about  a  mile  from  the  village  of  Bridgeport,  four  miles 
from  Frankfort  and  half  a  mile  from  the  public  road 
between  tlie  towns  of  Frankfort  and  Louisville. 

Rev.  Samuel  Shannon  from  the  first  took  in  some 
measure  the  special  oversight  of  the  congregation*  in 
connection  with  his  work  of  pastor  of  Woodford  Church. 


*  Minutes  of  Session. 


50  HISTORY    Oi"    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Also  Rev.  Archibald  Cameron,*  of  Shelbyville,  and  Rev. 
William  Mahon  *  visited  and  preached  here  at  intervals. 
In  1806  Mr.  Shannon  resigned  the  pastorate  at  Wood- 
ford Church,  and  removed  to  reside  permanently  in 
this  neighborhood  at  a  point  between  the  two  Benson 
churches,  of  which  he  then  took  charge  as  pastor, 
dividing  his  time  equally  between  them.  He  continued 
in  charge  until  the  War  of  1812  with  England,  at  which 
time  he  resigned  and  entered  the  army  as  chaplain. 
After  this  for  some  years  the  church  had  no  settled 
pastor,  and  had  to  depend  upon  such  help  as  could  be 
had  from  Presbytery  and  an  occasional  supply.  Rev. 
Archibald  Cameron,  of  Shelby,  who  was  a  very  zealous 
and  indefatigable  minister  and  home  missionary  in  this 
section,  frequently  held  meetings  here,  and  later  on 
Rev.  Eli  Smith,  of  Frankfort,  supplied  the  congrega- 
tion regularly  in  the  pleasant  seasons  of  the  years. 
Upon  these  occasions  the  two  Benson  congregations 
for  convenience  would  join  together.  Mr.  Smith  con- 
tinued these  ministrations  during  his  stay  in  Frankfort, 
and  for  a  short  time  even  after  he  resigned  there  and 
before  removal  to  Bourbon  County  in  1829.  After  the 
departure  of  Mr.  Smith,  and  when  the  Upper  Benson 
Clmrch  had  united  with  the  Lawrenceburg  congrega- 
tion m  the  employment  of  a  pastor,  a  congregational 
meeting  of  this  church  was  called  in  November,  1829, 
to  consider  the  propriety  of  disbanding  and  joining  the 
most  convenient  churches.  It  was,  however,  deter- 
mined unanimously  at  the  meeting  to  hold  together. 
Twentv-four  persons  came  forward  and  pledged  them- 
selves to  the   support  of  the  church,  and  a  reinforce- 


*  >riniites  of  Session. 


LOWER    BENSON    CHURCH.  51 

ment  ot  twenty-one  members  was  received  from  the 
Upper  Benson  Church.  Robert  Hamilton,  WilUam 
Bovd  and  John  Reading  were  added  to  the  session,  two 
of  whom  had  been  elders  in  the  other  congregation. 

In  1830  Rev.  James  Hawthorn  began  his  ministra- 
tions here  in  connection  with  his  pastoral  work  at  Upper 
Benson,  and  at  this  time  also  Mr.  John  Lapsley,  a  ruHng 
elder  in  the  church  from  which  he  came,  was  received 
upon  certificate,  and  shortly  afterward  added  to  the  ses- 
sion. Rev.  John  T.  Edgar  in  1832  began  preaching  here 
on  Sabbath  afternoons  in  connection  with  the  pastoral 
work  at  Frankfort.  He  acted  as  moderator  of  the  ses- 
sion and  administered  the  ordinances  of  this  church. 
During  suitable  weather  in  summer  these  afternoon 
services  were  often  held  in  the  Sugar  Tree  Grove,  one 
and  a  half  miles  Avest  of  Frankfort,  at  the  forks  of  the 
Louisville  and  Harrodsburg  public  roads.  Many  of  the 
Frankfort  people  also  attended  these  services,  and  the 
sessions  of  the  two  churches  occasionally  held  joint 
meetings  there,  especially  on  sacramental  occasions. 
At  a  protracted  meeting  held  here  April  28th,  1832,  a 
considerable  number  of  persons  were  received,  including 
the  following  upon  certificate  from  Pisgah  Church,  Vir- 
ginia:  Andrew  B.  Read,  John  L.  Read  and  Frances 
Read ;  also  John  and  Temperance  Sharpe,  from  Shelby- 
ville,  Kentucky.  In  May,  1834,  Mr.  Andrew  B.  Read 
and  John  Sharpe  were  added  to  the  session,  a  collection 
was  taken  for  Home  Missions  as  conducted  by  Louis- 
ville Presbytery,  and  a  special  collection  ordered  for  the 
following  Sabbath  to  buy  a  Bible  and  copy  of  Watts' 
Hymns,  for  use  in  the  public  services  of  this  church. 

In  November.  1834,  an  arrangement  was  made  by 
the   session,   with   the   consent   of   Presbytery   and   the 


52  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Frankfort  Church,  with  the  Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.D., 
then  pastor  at  Frankfort,  for  his  services  every  Sabbath 
afternoon,  at  two  o'clock,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
this  congregation.  "  On  December  i6th  following  the 
congregation  met  according  to  appointment,  and  having 
heard  Bro.  Baker  three  Sabbaths  previous,  by  unanimous 
vote  it  accepted  of  his  labors."*  This  arrangement  was 
continued  during  Dr.  Baker's  stay  at  Frankfort,  to  the 
great  edification  of  this  church.  In  1837  Rev.  James 
Logan  ministered  to  the  church  as  stated  supply,  giving 
it  half  his  time,  and  Rev.  James  Hawthorn,  of  Lawrence- 
burg,  also  preached  for  it  once  a  month.  In  the  year 
1838  Rev.  Sylvester  Scovill  supplied  this  church,  preach- 
ing from  time  to  time,  as  his  engagements  elsewhere 
would  permit.  In  1839  and  1840  Rev.  D.  M.  Winston, 
who  was  laboring  at  the  Upper  Benson  Church  as  its 
stated  supply,  also  preached  regularly  to  Lower  Benson 
Church.  Rev.  J.  J.  Bullock,  of  the  Frankfort  Church, 
continued  the  arrangement  made  with  his  predecessor, 
Dr.  Baker,  and  supplied  the  congregation  on  Sabbath 
afternoons  until  the  coming  of  Rev.  E.  K.  Lynn,  in  the 
fall  of  1840.  In  April,  1841,  the  two  Benson  Churches 
tmited  in  a  call  to  Rev.  Ephraim  K.  Lynn  to  take  pas- 
toral charge,  and  he  was  installed  at  a  meeting  of  Pres- 
bytery in  the  same  month.  During  Mr.  Lynn's  pas- 
torate of  the  two  churches,  which  was  a  very  agreeable 
one  to  all  parties  and  profitable  to  the  two  congrega- 
tions, the  two  bodies  often  worshiped  together,  and  the 
elders  held  joint  sessional  meetings,  sending  one  dele- 
gate only  to  tlic  Church  courts.  In  October,  1841. 
Mr.  Frederick  Robi)  and  ^Ir.  Peter  lett  were  added  to 


*  Minutes  of  Se.s.sion. 


I.OWER  i!e;nson  church.  53. 

the  session,  and  George  Williams  and  Samuel  P.  Read- 
ing elected  deacons.  In  1844  Mr.  Lynn  removed  to 
another  State,  leaving  this  field  again  vacant.  Rev. 
John  D.  Paxton,  of  Shelby  County,  was  very  kind  in 
visiting  the  congregation  and  ministering  to  their  spir-. 
itual  wants  at  this  time,  and  Rev.  J.  J.  Bullock,  of 
Frankfort,  again  preached  to  it  and  held  communion 
services  regularly.  ''' 

About  this  time  the  congregation  left  the  old  church 
in  which  it  had  hitherto  worshiped,  and  entered  into 
a  modern  and  well-appointed  church  building  on  the 
Louisville  turnpike,  near  Bridgeport,  beautifully  sit- 
uated and  more  convenient  of  access.  At  the  same 
time  the  name  was  changed  from  "  Lower  Benson  "'■ 
to  "  Franklin  Church,"  by  which  latter  name  it  was' 
enrolled  in  the  records  of  Presbvtery. 

At  a  called  meeting  of  Presbytery  at  Franklin 
Church  in  Jainiary,  1848.  Rev.  J.  S.  Braddock  was 
examined,  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of  this 
church.  At  this  time  the  church  was  reinforced  by  the 
addition  of  a  number  of  persons  from  the  recently  dis- 
banded l.Tpper  Benson  Church,  among  whom  was  Field- 
ing L.  Connor,  a  ruling  elder,  who  was  added  to  the 
session  of  this  church,  and  about  the  same  date  the- 
congregation  elected  Dandridge  Crockett  and  A.  B. 
Dooley  ruling  elders,  and  Alexander  Wilson  and  Henry 
W.  Sneed  deacons. 

Air.  Braddock  terminated  his  work  here  in  1849,. 
after  which  for  some  years  the  church  was  without  the 
regular  means  of  grace.  The  record  book  of  session 
was   lost,  and   not   recovered   until    1865,   about   which 

*  Alinutes  of  Session. 


54  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

time  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Cleland  supplied  the  church  for 
several  months.  After  Mr.  Cleland's  departure  the 
Rev.  D.  T.  Stewart  preached  for  the  congregation  and 
administered  the  ordinances  from  time  to  time.  In 
June,  1865,  Mr.  Alfred  B.  Read  was  elected  ruling  elder, 
who  with  Mr.  A.  B.  Dooley  and  Mr.  Peter  Jett  consti- 
tuted the  session.  In  1865  the  Rev.  John  R.  Hendrick 
began  to  regularly  supply  the  pulpit  of  Franklin  Church, 
and  continued  to  do  so  with  great  acceptance  to  the  con- 
gregation for  several  years.  He  was  the  last  minister 
in  connection  with  our  branch  of  the  Church  who  min- 
istered to  this  congregation.  In  April,  1873,  the  con- 
sfresfation,  at  a  meeting  called  to  consider  their  church 
relations,  instructed  their  delegates  to  Presbytery  to 
attend  Louisville  Presbytery  in  connection  with  the 
Southern  General  Assembly,  which  was  to  hold  its 
approaching  meeting  in  the  Second  Church,  Louisville, 
and  to  have  this  church  placed  upon  its  roll  and  taken 
under  its  care.  This  course  was  carried  out,  and  Frank- 
lin Church  thus  severed  its  connection  with  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,  and 
was  enrolled  by  Louisville  Presbytery  in  connection 
witli  tile  Presbvterian  Church  in  the  United  States. 


LOWER    BENSON    CHURCH.  55 

LIST   OF   MINISTERS. 

From  Organization  to  the  Year  1873. 

Rev.  Samuel  Shannon Pastor,  1806 — 1812 

Rev.  Eli  Smith Supply,  1824— 1829 

Rev.  James  Hawthorn Pastor,  1830 — 1835 

Rev.  John  T.  Edgar Supply,  1831 — 1832 

Rev.  Danie!  Baker Supply,  1834 — 1835 

Rev.  James  Logran Supply,  1837 

Rev.  D.  M.  Winston Supply.  1836— 1840 

Rev.  J.  J.  Bullock Supply,  1840 — 1841 

Rev.  E.  K.  Lynn Pastor,  1841 — 1844 

Rev.  J.  S.  Bradciock Pastor.  1848— 1849 

Rev.  T.  H.  Cleland Supply,  1865 

Rev.  D.  T.  Stewart Supply,  1865— 1866 

Rev.  J.  R.  HendricK- Supply,  1866— 1873 


RULING  ELDERS. 

From  Organization  to  the  Year  1873. 

Robert  Armstrong. Installed  1805 

Hamilton  Crockett Ordained  and  Installed  1805 

John  Reading Ordained  and  Installed  1829 

William  Boyd Installed  1829 

Robert  Hamilton Installed  1829 

John  A.  Lapsley Installed  183 1 

John  Sharpe Ordained  and  Installed  1834 

Andrew  B.   Read Ordained  and  Installed  1834 

Frederick  Robb Ordained  and  Installed  1841 

Peter  Jett Ordained  and  Installed  1841 

A.  Boyd  Dooley Ordained  and  Installed  1848 

Dandridge  S.  Crockett. Ordained  and  Installed  1848 

Fielding   L.    Connor Installed  1848 

Alfred  B.  Read Ordained  and  Installed  1865 


DEACONS. 


George  Williams Ordained  and  Installed  1841 

Samuel  P.  Reading. ..  .Ordained  and  Installed  1841 

Alexander  Wilson Ordained  and  Installed  1848 

Henry  W.  Sneed Ordained  and  Installed  1848 


56 


HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


ROLL   OF   MEMBERS 

pROAf  Organization  to  the  Year  1873. 

Those  marked  with  a  *  were  received  by  letter.     All  others 
upon  examination. 


Robert  Armstrong.* 
Jane  Armstrong.* 
James  Boyd. 
Rebecca  Boya. 
John  Robinson. 
Alargaret  Robinson. 
Timothy  Mayhall.* 
Esther  Mayhall.* 
Mary  Wilson. 
Mary  Bennett. 
Catharine  Bennett. 
Sarah  Bennett. 
Elizabeth  Wilson. 
Mary  Wilson. 
George  Williams.* 
Elizabeth'  Williams.* 
Hugh  Alexander.* 
Mary  Alexander.* 
George  Reading.* 
Mrs.  Margaret  Russell.* 
Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Jett.* 
Mrs.  Catherine  Wilson. 
Mrs.  Mary  Scroggin. 
Miss  Nancy  Reaajng. 
John  A.   Lapsley.* 
Mrs.  Mary  Lapsley.* 
Miss  Mary  J.  Lapsley.* 
Robert  Hamilton. 
Mary  Hamilton. 
Miss  Elizabeth   Hamilton. 
Mary  Ann  Williams. 
James  F.  Black. 
Julia  Ann  Boyce. 
Mrs.  Frances  Black. 
Mrs.  Mary  Reading. 


John   Wilson. 

Martha  Wilson. 

Hamilton    Crockett.* 

Frances  Crockett. 

John   Reading.* 

Marj'   Reading.* 

Thomas  Scroggin. 

Mary  Scroggin. 

Nancy  Arnold. 

Elizabeth  Logan. 

Elizabeth  Milam. 

Jane   Kennedy. 

Nancy  McClosky. 

Joseph  Reading. 

Jane  Boyd. 

William  Boyd.* 

Nancy  Boyd.* 

Lucy  Milam.* 

Ann  M.   Crockett. 

.\nn  M.  Black.* 

Mary    McKendrick.* 

Abijah  Hughes. 

Susanna   Hughes. 

Miss   Lucy   Hughes. 

John  Sharpe.* 

Mrs.  Temperance  Sharpe.* 

Andrew  B.  Read.* 

Mrs.  Frances  Read.* 

John  L.  Read.* 

Jane  Black.* 

Alary   Robb. 

Eliza  Milam. 

Susan  Williams. 

.Miss  Margaret  Jett. 

Samuel   P.   Reading. 


i^owER  be;nson  church. 


57 


Frederick   Robb. 
Hannah  Paxton. 
Patsy    Arnold. 
Samuel  P.  Reading,  Jr. 
Sarah  Evans. 
Jane    Hamilton. 
Sarah  Hamilton. 
Peyton  Hamilton. 
Mary  Hamilton. 
Mrs.   Sarah  Ellison. 
Mrs.    Elizabeth    Ellison. 
Barney  Pnllam. 
Dandridge  Crockett. 
Mrs.   Frances   Pullam. 
Joseph  Boyce. 
W.    Bradley. 
Alexander  Crockett. 
A.    B.    Dooley. 
Anthony  McKee. 
William    H.   Crutcher. 
Henry  W.  Sneed. 
Squire  (a  slave). 
Absolem  Knox. 
David  Johnson. 
Miss  EHza  Robb. 
James  Wood. 
Anthony  Crockett. 
Mrs.  Susan  Crockett. 
Mrs.  Ann  Jenkins. 
Frances   Dooley. 
Thompson  Howard. 
Turner  (a  slave). 
Mrs.  Margerite  Crockett. 
Zepheniah  Williams. 
Miss   Martha  Jane  Jett. 
Fielding   L.    Connor.* 
Matthew  Davidson.* 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Davidson.* 
Miss  Jane  A.  Davidson.* 
Miss   Drusilla   Davidson.* 
Miss   Elizabeth   Paxton.* 
Miss   Frances   Crockett. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  McKce. 

Peter  Jelt. 

John  Evans. 

William  Scroggin. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Scroggin. 

Landon  Carter. 

Ellen  Mayhall.^^ 

Henry  Wolfe.* 

William  Johnson. 

Rebecca  Williams. 

Amelia  Williams. 

Mrs.  Sue  Bennett. 

T.  Read. 

Mrs.   Mary  Crockett. 

Alexander  Wilson. 

M.  Robb. 

Mrs.  Mary  Robb. 

Joseph   Robb. 

Samuel  G.  Hamilton. 

Thomas   Dooley. 

Airs.  Nancy  Dooley. 

America  (a  slave). 

William  P.  Morris. 

James  V.  Milam. 

Ann  Read. 

Samuel  Alayhall. 

Robert   Howard. 

Judith   Milam. 

Thomas   Jenkins. 

Joanna  Welch. 

T.  W.  Woods. 

Mary    A.    Hall.* 

Jenny  (a  slave). 

Miss  Elizabeth  Lancaster. 

Mrs.  Frances  Arnold. 

Mrs.   Susan   Milam. 

Mrs.  Jane  Connor.* 

Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Johnson.* 

Miss  Eliza  Ann  Latta.* 

Miss  Martha  Bond.* 

Mrs.  Mary  Robinson.* 

Mrs.    Margerite    Latla.'^- 


58 


HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


Miss  Sarah  Paxton.* 

Miss  Susan  Mary  Crockett. 

Mrs.  Louisa  Reading-* 

Mrs.  Rachel  Mayhall. 

Miss  Mary  Robb. 

Jonas  Robb. 

John  W.   Russell. 

Mrs.  Ann  M.  Russell.* 

John  C.  Russell. 

Miss  Cordelia  W.  Russell.* 

Miss  Sallie  Robson. 

Miss    Sallie    Richardson. 

David  C.  Mitchell. 

Josiah    Bliss.* 

Mrs.  Eliza  Bliss.* 

Miss  Jane  Bliss.* 

Miss  Julia  Read. 

Mrs.  lone  K.  Stephens.* 

Mrs.  Lou 


James  VV.   Sheets.* 
Miss  Sarah  Wilcux. 
Mrs.  Martha  Jackson. 
Miss  Clementine  Wilcox. 
William    Davenport.* 
Miss  Fannie  Crockett. 
Lewis  Sneed. 
Catesb}^  Hawkins. 
Caroline  Hawkins. 
Alexander  Carter. 
Sarah  Carter. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Crockett.* 
Mrs.    Rachel    Doolan. 
Joseph  Robinson. 
Matthew   E.   Jett. 
Mrs.  Agnes  Jett. 
Mrs.   Jane   Chambers. 
Miss  Edna  Mayhall.* 
M.  Cleland. 


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CHAPTER    IV. 
FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

The  city  of  Frankfort  may  justly  claim  to  be  situated 
upon  the  first  parcel  of  ground  surveyed  and  located  in  • 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Kentucky,  at  that  time  a  por- 
tion of  Fincastle  County,  Virginia.  The  region  had 
been  traversed  by  Findley,  Boone,  and  other  adven- 
turous hunters,  who  brought  back  glowing  accounts 
of  the  country,  the  great  fertility  of  the  soil,  the 
delightful  climate,  endless  growth  of  magnificent  tim- 
ber, the  beautiful  undulating  surface,  well  watered  by 
gushing  springs,  limpid  brooks  and  deeply  channeled 
rivers,  and  withal  of  the  great  abundance  and  variety 
of  game,  large  and  small.  Attracted  by  these  accounts, 
which  spread  through  North  Carolina  and  Virginia, 
adventurous  settlers  in  large  numbers  soon  sought 
the  new  country  which  had  been  so  highly  favored  by 
nature.  On  the  loth  day  of  May,  1773,  a  company  of 
men,  James,  George  and  Robert  McAfee,  their  brother- 
in-law  James  jNIcCoun,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  Adams,  a  neigh- 
bor, left  their  home  in  Botetourt  County,  Mrginia,  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  the  country,  with  the  view  of 
settlement.  They  were  fully  aware  of  the  dangers  and 
difficulties  before  them,  but  they  were  bold  and  intrepid 
men,  inured  to  the  hardships  of  border  life.* 

The  prospect  of  bettering  their  fortunes,  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  settlers,  and  a  firm  reliance  upon  the 
care  of  Providence,  sustained  and  animated  them  during 


*  Robert  McAfee's  aroount  of  first  settlement 


62  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

their  long  and  perjlous  voyage.*  "The  McAfee  Com- 
pany "  struck  across  the  country  to  New  River,  which 
they  descended  in  a  canoe  to  its  mouth.  On  the  28th 
of  May  tb.ey  feU  in  with  a  company  of  surveyors,  under 
charge  of  Thomas  BulHtt  and  Hancock  Taylor.  The 
two  companies  united,  and  chose  Thomas  Bullitt  as 
leader,  and  remained  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha 
River  until  the  first  day  of  June.  Bullitt  then  left  the 
party  and  went  to  the  Indian  town  of  Chillicothe,  of 
the  Shawnee  Nation,  which  laid  claim  to  all  the  region 
of  country  into  which  the  party  proposed  to  penetrate. 
He  joined  the  party  on  the  14th  of  June,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  vScioto,  having  made  a  friendly  agreement  with 
the  Indian  chiefs.  The  party  then  descended  the  Ohio 
in  a  small  boat  and  four  canoes."^'  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Levisa  (Kentucky)  River  the  party  divided.  A  portion, 
under  the  leadership  of  Thomas  Bullitt,  continued  down 
the  stream,  eventually  locating  at  the  falls  of  the  river. 
The  McAfee  party,  with  Hancock  Taylor,  who  was 
Deputy  Surveyor  of  Fincastle  County,  proposing  to 
penetrate  into  the  interior,  ascended  the  smaller  stream 
which  flowed  from  the  south.  The  party  soon  came  to 
a  "  salt  lick,"  upon  the  great  buffalo  trace  (now  Dren- 
non),  where  an  astonishing  number  of  buffalo,  elk  and 
deer  were  seen.  The  grounds  and  roads  about  the 
"  licks  "  were  as  much  beaten  as  those  around  a  popu- 
lous city.*  The  company  here  left  their  boats  and  fol- 
lowed one  of  the  wide,  well-beaten  roads  made  by  the 
countless  herds  of  buffalo  through  the  almost  impass- 
able canebrakes  and  thickets,  until  the  river  was  again 
reached,  at  a  point  where  the  "  trace  "  crossed  it,  about 


*  Robert  McAfee's  account  of  first  settlement. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  63; 

a  mile  below  the  site  of  this  city.  Crossing  the  stream 
at  the  ford,  the  party  followed  the  trace  up  the  valley 
eastwardly,  and  encompassing  the  hill,  came  to  the  big 
spring,  at  the  head  of  the  two  valleys.  After  here 
"  burying  a  tomahawk,"'  they  entered  the  valley  which 
widens  into  the  plain  on  which  Frankfort  now  stands. 
Impressed  by  the  surpassing  loveliness  of  their  sur- 
roundings, of  which  we  of  to-day  may  have  some  slight 
conception  —  the  valleys  teeming  with  luxurious  vege- 
tation, surmounted  on  every  side  by  heavily  timbered 
and  lofty  hills,  with  the  clear  and  beautiful  river  winding 
its  way  in  the  midst  —  the  party  at  once  proceeded  on 
the  morning  of  the  i6th  of  July,  1773,  to  make  a  sur- 
vey."^ Taking  as  a  starting  point  two  white  oak  trees 
upon  the  river  bank,  now  the  southern  end  of  Ann 
Street,  a  survey  was  made,  embracing  the  greater  part 
of  the  ground  now  covered  by  the  city  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river.  Pursuing  their  way  upon  the  following 
day,  the  pioneers  again  crossed  the  river,  some  miles 
above,  and  finally,  on  July  27th,  located  a  survey  at  a 
point  which  became  afterward  the  famous  "  McAfee 
Station,"  and  included  the  ground  upon  which  New 
Providence  Church  was  subsequently  built. 

In  the  following  summer  Hancock  Taylor  returned 
to  this  locality  and  completed  the  survey  of  the  valley 
eastwardly,  and  somewhat  later  on  Mr.  Hancock  Lee, 
of  A^irginia,  with  others,  located  and  established  a  sta- 
tion at  the  ford,  one  mile  below,  which  developed  after- 
ward, under  the  name  of  Leestown,  into  a  thriving 
village. 

The   tract    of   land   now   covered   bv   the   citv   was 


*  McAfee's  account  of  the  first  settlement. 


64  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

acquired  by  purchase  in  1786  by  General  James  Wilkin- 
son. The  price  paid  was  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds, 
sterling,  cash.  He  proceeded  at  once  to  lay  out  and 
establish  a  town,  a  charter  having  been  obtained  from 
the  Legislature  at  Richmond,  bearing  date  October  6th, 
1786,  incorporating  it  under  its  present  name.  The 
names  given  by  General  Wilkinson  to  some  of  the 
streets  were  in  honor  of  his  companions  in  arms  with 
whom  he  had  served  in  two  wars,  one  of  which  had  just 
closed:  Washington,  Montgomery,  Clinton,  St..  Clair 
and  Madison.  His  own  name  he  gave  to  another,  and 
one  he  called  Ann,  in  compliment  to  his  wife. 

General  Wilkinson  reserved  for  his  own  private 
benefit  the  river  front  between  St.  Clair  Street  and  the 
bend  of  the  river  below,  and  at  the  latter  point  he  estab- 
lished his  iiome.  The  purchasers  of  the  lots  in  the  new 
town  were  required,  under  forfeiture  of  title,  to  build 
within  two  years  tenements  of  at  least  sixteen  feet 
square,  with  stone  or  brick  chimneys.  The  mansion 
erected  by  General  \\'ilkinson  for  his  own  use  w^as  a 
very  elegant  and  imposing  one,  far  in  advance  of  any 
building  in  this  section  at  that  time.  To  encourage 
purchasers  of  lots  and  settlers,  he  opened  a  system  of 
drainage,  by  which  the  low  lands  covered  by  the  swamps 
on  the  north  and  east  of  the  town  were  reclaimed, 
thereby  removing  a  standing  menace  to  the  health  of 
the  place.  And  in  order  to  divert  from  Leestown,  his 
rival  town  on  the  river  one  mile  below,  the  through 
travel  between  the  settlements  east  and  west,  which 
used  the  ford  for  crossing  the  stream,  he  built  a  public 
road  up  the  hill  eastwardly  towards  Lexington,  and 
establisjied  and  maintained  a  ferry  at  the  south  end  of 
Wilkinson  Street,  near  his  residence.     His  house  thus 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  65 

occupied  a  strategic  point,  being  on  the  *'  big  road," 
communicating  between  Lexington  and  the  east,  with 
Louisville  and  other  western  points.  It  afterward 
became,  as  the  Love  Tavern,  the  pubHc  inn  of  the 
town,  as  well  as  the  resting  place  of  the  travehng 
public,  and  was  destined  to  play  a  prominent  part  in 
the  history  of  the  town.  The  free  use  for  several  years 
of  its  spacious  rooms,  proffered  to  and  accepted  by  the 
State  in  1792,  was  an  important  factor  in  deciding  the 
location  of  the  Capital  at  Frankfort. 

The  location  of  the  State  Capital  at  Frankfort  in 
1792  gave  at  once  an  impetus  to  the  growth  of  the 
place,  and  it  assumed  somewhat  of  the  political  import- 
ance previously  enjoyed  by  Danville.  The  seat  of  State 
government  permanently  located  here,  with  the  State 
offices,  the  Federal  and  State  courts,  with  the  sessions 
of  the  Legislature,  drew  hither  men  of  influence  and 
ambition  from  all  parts  of  the  State.  Not  a  few  of 
these,  "  men  of  affairs,"  and  promoters  of  public  or  pri- 
vate enterprises,  were  induced  for  convenience  to  take 
up  their  permanent  residence  at  the  Capital. 

From  this  tim.e  on  the  population  of  the  town* 
increased  rapidly,  and  partook  in  a  marked  degree  of 
the  prevaihng  characteristics  of  the  population  of  the 
State  at  that  period.  The  time  and  energies  of  the 
inhabitants  were  devoted  entirely  to  secular  pursuits 
and  pleasure,  with  a  general  disregard  for  the  claims 
of  religion.  The  Sabbath  day  was  the  chosen  time  for 
various  festivities  and  sports  of  all  kinds,  target-shoot- 
ing, horse-racing,  hunting  and  fishing  parties.     Yet  in 


*  Ninety  male  voters,  two  hundred  and  diirty-nine  women 
and  children,  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  negro  slaves. 


66  HISTORY    OP    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

the  midst  of  the  abounding  worldliness  and  immoraHty 
of  the  place  there  were  an  elect  few,  whose  active  piety 
shone  out  in  bright  contrast.  There  was  no  church  or 
meeting-house  of  any  religious  society  in  the  town,  yet 
religious  services  were  maintained  from  time  to  time  by 
a  little  band  of  pious  and  consecrated  women.  These 
meetings  were  held  for  the  most  part  in  the  "  big  room  " 
of  the  Love  Tavern,  at  other  times  in  the  mansion  of 
Hon.  John  Brown,  whose  accomplished  wife,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garetta  Mason  Brown,  was  the  acknowledged  center  of 
religious  influence  in  the  community,  and  principal  pro- 
moter of  these  religious  services.  Her  house  became 
"  The  Preachers'  Hotel,"  and  "  no  minister  of  any  ortho- 
dox denomination  was  allowed  to  pass  through  the  place 
without  having  an  opportunity  of  holding  a  religious 
service.''  Upon  these  occasions  her  two  sons.  Mason 
and  Orlando  Brown,  with  James  Love,  son  of  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  IvOve,  would  be  sent  out  for  a  house-to-house 
notification,  and  to  spread  the  news  through  the  public 
streets,  thus  securing  a  congregation. 

After  a  time  the  citizens  of  the  town,  realizing  to 
some  degree  the  desirability  of  public  religious  services, 
with  their  uplifting  influence  upon  society,  yet  unwilling 
to  contribute  directly  of  their  means  for  the  building  of 
a  church,  inaugurated  a  movement  for  this  purpose  in 
a  "  lottery  scheme."  A  bill  was  drafted  and  presented 
to  the  Legislature  by  Governor  Greenup,  authorizing 
a  lottery  by  which  to  raise  four  thousand  dollars  for 
church  purposes.  The  act  became  a  law  in  1808,  and 
provided  for  the  construction  of  a  "  Publick  Meeting 
House,  upon  the  State  Capitol  grounds,  which  should 
be  open  to  any  religious  sect  which  should  perform 
divine  service  in  an  orderly  manner."     The  funds  were 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  67 

thus  realized,  and  after  maii}^  delays  the  building  was 
erected  on  the  west  side  of  the  State  House  square, 
facing  Madison  Street,  and  for  some  years  was  the  only 
public  meeting-house  in  the  town.  It  was  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  God  would  honor  and  bless  a  house  built 
by  such  questionable  methods,  and  such  was  not  the 
case,  for  its  joint  occupancy  and  care  gave  rise  to  strife 
and  contentions  among  the  "  sects  "  using  it,  and  it 
eventually  took  fire  and  was  burned  to  the  ground. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  we  have  no  record  giving 
the  exact  date  and  details  of  the  or,ganization  of  our 
Church  in  Frankfort,  including  the  name  of  the  ofBci- 
ating  minister,  with  a  complete  list  of  the  original  mem- 
bers. We  live  now  in  a  day  of  statistics ;  at  that  time 
scant  attention  was  given  to  such  matters.  Indeed,  the 
reports  and  tabular  statements  of  our  General  Assembly 
itself,  of  that  period,  and  years  afterward,  were  meager 
and  incomplete ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
the  inferior  bodies,  Presbyteries  and  sessions,  should 
be  derelict  in  their  records. 

From  reliable  information,  however,  we  may  fix  upon 
1816  as  the  year  in  which  the  organization  was  effected. 
We  learn  from  the  records  of  the  Upper  Benson  Church, 
then  in  existence  over  twenty  years,  that  at  this  time 
Thomas  Paxton,  a  ruling  elder,  removed  his  member- 
ship to  Frankfort  to  aid  in  the  formation  of  a  church 
there,  and  act  as  one  of  its  session,  and  his  name  and 
those  of  his  family  appear  on  our  first  recorded  roll. 
There  appears  to  have  been  a  lack  of  suitable  material 
for  ruling  elders  in  this  congregation,  hence  the  trans- 
fer of  the  country  elder.  Dr.  J.  J.  Miles  and  John 
M.  Foster  were  also  elected  elders,  and  served  for 
some  years,  but  the  latter  was  subsequently  removed 


68  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

for  cause,  and  the  former  changed  his  residence  tem- 
porarily to  Danville.  The  congregation  then  looked  to 
the  country  again  for  help,  and  two  other  Benson  elders, 
William  Boyd  and  Robert  Hamilton,  were  induced  to 
move  their  membership  to  town  and  take  part  in  the 
spiritual  oversight  of  the  congregation.  Mr.  David  C. 
Humphreys,  from  Woodford  Church,  also  located  here 
just  at  this  time,  and  was  added  to  the  session,  and  acted 
as  its  clerk- 

The  first  minister  in  charge  was  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  who 
began  his  labors  here  about  1817,  and  served  the  church 
faithfully  and  successfully  about  ten  years.  The  first 
roll  of  membership  on  our  records  bears  date  May  5th, 
1825,  and  includes  fifty-nine  names,  forty-five  of  whom 
were  females.  It  thus  appears  to  have  been  at  first 
■essentially  a  woman's  church,  and  their  preponderance 

.  was  not  only  in  numl)ers,  but  in  intelligence,  zeal  and 
vital  piety  as  well.  Rev.  Eli  Smith  was  moderator  of 
session,  with  Ruling  Elders  Thomas  Paxton,  William 
Boyd,  Robert  Hamilton,  J.  J.  Miles  and  David  C. 
Humphreys. 

Mr.  Smith  terminated  his  labors  here  in  the  latter 
part  of  1827.  At  the  same  time  the  three  country  elders, 
Paxton,  Boyd  and  Hamilton,  addressed  a  letter  to  the 
congregation  resigning  in  a  body,  giving  their  reasons 
therefor,  and  returned  to  their  country  church.  Mr. 
Humphreys,  the  other  elder,  had  also  left,  returning  to 
Woodford,  and  the  chu.rch  was  thus  without  pastor 
or  elders.  In  this  emergency,  there  being  no  session, 
tlie  congregation  assembled.  In  the  absence  of  suitable 
church  members  to  preside  and  conduct  the  proceedings, 
the  congregation  called  to  its  aid  a  number  of  men  who 

'.were  not  members  of  anv  church.     Colonel  Jaiues  David- 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  69 

son' was  chosen  to  preside,  and  the  following  gentlemen, 
also  non-protessors,  were  chosen  a  committee  to  draft 
and  submit  a  set  of  resolutions  to  the  meeting,  together 
with  a  memorial  to  Presbytery:  Mr.  John  H.  Hanna,. 
John  J.  Crittenden,  Mason  Brown  and  Jarvis  Russell. 
The  committee,  through  its  chairman,  Mr.  Hanna, 
reported  a  series  of  resolutions,  which  were  unanimously 
adopted,  sixty-nine  persons  voting,  of  whom  thirty-four 
were  members  of  the  church.  The  ^memorial  to  Pres- 
bytery was  also  adopted,  in  which  was  set  forth.  "  That, 
owing  to  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Eli  Smith  and  of  the 
elders  of  the  church,  the  congregation  was  left  without 
officers,  and  could  not  appear  before  Presbytery  in  a  reg- 
ular and  orderly  manner,  and  came  directly  by  committee 
and  memorial."  A  request  was  made  for  the  ministerial 
services  of  Rev.  John  T.  Edgar,  who  by  invitation  had 
been  preaching  to  the  people  since  the  departure  of 
Mr.  Smith.  The  committee  to  present  the  "  memorial  " 
to  Presbytery  consisted  of  Mr.  John  H.  Hanna.  Mason 
Brown  and  John  J.  Vest,  and  their  mission  appears  to 
have  been  successful,  for  Mr.  Edgar  entered'  at  once, 
by  authority  of  Presbytery,  upon  the  duties  of  stated 
supply. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Edgar's  coming  the  church  expe- 
rienced perhaps  the  greatest  revival  and  work  of  divine 
grace  in  its  history.  Over  sixty  persons  were  added 
to  the  membership,  many  of  whom  were  heads  of  fami- 
lies and  prominent  and  influential  citizens  of  the  place. 

Previous  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  deacons  in 
this  church,  and  the  temporal  afifairs  of  the  congrega- 
tion had  been  conducted  in  a  loose  and  irregular  way. 
Having  now  acquired  abundant  material  for  office-bear- 
ers, Mr.  Edgar  at  once  undertook  a  reorganization  of 


*JO  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

the  church.  About  this  time  Dr.  James  J.  Miles,  a 
former  ruling  elder,  returned  to  reside  here,  and  was 
again  elected  to  the  office  in  this  church.  Hon.  Ben- 
jamin Mills,  who  had  recently  removed  hither  from 
Paris,  to  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  Court  of  Appeals, 
an  elder  in  the  church  from  which  he  came,  was  also 
added  to  the  session,  together  with  Hon.  John  Brown, 
Jarvis  Russell  and  Dr.  Luke  Munsell,  who  were 
ordained  and  installed.  A  Board  of  Deacons  was 
elected  and  installed,  consisting  of  Austin  P.  Cox,  John 
Swingle,  John  P.  Reading,  William  M.  Todd,  Albert  G. 
Hodges,  Joseph  Clarke  and  George  A.  Robertson. 

In  March,  1829,  Mr.  Edgar  received  a  unanimous 
call  to  the  pastor's  office,  and  was  immediately  installed. 
His  pastorate,  which  was  a  very  pleasant  and  successful 
one,  terminated  in  July,  1833. 

During  his  ministry  here  Dr.  Edgar,  under  direction 
of  Presbytery,  spent  a  considerable  part  of  the  summer 
and  fall  months  in  missionary  tours,  confirming  and 
strengthening  the  weak  and  destitute  churches  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  tlie  Presbytery.  He  also  preached 
statedly  to  the  country  churches  in  this  vicinity.  At 
that  period  the  Presbyteries  seemed  to  have  exercised 
a  very  close  watcli  and  paternal  care  over  their  weaker 
and  struggling  congregations,  making  regular  details 
from  the  pulpits  of  the  stronger  churches  for  their  spir- 
itual nourishment.  These  ministers  were  sent  accord- 
ing to  Scripture  injunction,  "  two  and  two,''  holding 
usually  four  days'  meetings,  administering  the  ordi- 
nances, concluding  with  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  on  the  Sabbath.  The  stated  meetings  of  Pres- 
bytery, and  especially  of  Svnod,  were  occasions  of  great 
import  and  interest  to  the  churches  and  to  the  whole 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  7 1 

community.  The  entertainment  of  these  bodies  no 
doubt  fully  taxed  the  ability  of  the  places  where  the 
meetings  were  held,  but  the  Scriptural  rule  of  "  hospi- 
tality without  grudging  "  seemed  to  have  prevailed,  for 
the  occasions  were  earnestly  sought  after,  contended 
for  and  enjoyed  by  the  churches.  That  being  before 
the  day  of  good  roads  and  adequate  pubHc  conveyances, 
the  visiting  ministers  and  elders  came  mostly  on  horse- 
back, occasionally  in  their  own  vehicles.  The  congre- 
gation was  called  on  to  entertain  "  man  and  beast,"  as 
is  shown  by  sundry  livery  bills  in  our  church  papers,  paid 
by  our  treasurer,  one  of  which,  for  keeping  the  horses 
of  Synod,*  amounted  to  $78.22.  In  contrast  somewhat 
with  these  ecclesiastical  bodies  of  to-day,  they  were  then 
in  no  hurry  to  depart,  remaining  over  the  Sabbath,  and 
thus  these  convocations  were  a  benediction  to  the  church 
and  community. 

Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.D.,  was  pastor  from  October, 
1834,  to  November,  1836.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
noted  and  successful  home  missionaries  and  evangelists 
of  the  Church  in  his  day,  and  was  not  content  to  remain 
very  long  in  the  restricted  work  of  a  pastor.  During 
his  ministry  here  his  services  were  much  in  demand,  by 
appointment  of  Presbytery,  and  elsewhere ;  so  much  so 
that  it  was  made  the  subject  of  a  formal  remonstrance 
to  Presbytery  by  the  session,  and  the  church  was  only 
in  part  mollified  by  the  supply  of  another  minister  to 
fill  the  pulpit  during  Dr.  Baker's  absence.  During  this 
pastorate  William  M.  Todd  and  Joseph  Clarke  were 
added  to  the  session,  and  James  F.  Dryden  and  William 
J.  Phillips  to  the  Board  of  Deacons. 


*  See  Appendix. 


72  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

In  December,  1836,  the  session  invited  Rev.  Joseph 
J.  Bullock,  a  licentiate  of  West  Lexington  Presbytery, 
to  supply  the  pulpit  for  twelve  months,  and  he  entered 
at  once  upon  the  work.  Before  the  expiration  of  the 
time,  however,  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
church,  and  in  October,  1837,  he  was  ordained  and 
installed  in  this,  his  first  charge,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four.  Many  years  afterward,  in  an  obituary  notice,  pub- 
lished after  Dr.  Bullock's  death,  which  was  prepared  by 
one  who  knew  and  loved  him  well,  and  who  was  at 
the  same  time  intimately  acquainted  with  his  Frankfort 
charge,  in  speaking  of  this  early  pastorate,  among  other 
influences  which  contributed  to  mold  the  character  and 
determine  the  destiny  of  Dr.  Bullock,  said :  "  While 
still  a  youth  he  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  at  the  Capital  of  the  State.  Here,  by 
reason  of  his  office,  he  became  intimately  associated 
with  perhaps  as  brilliant  and  accomplished  a  body  of 
men  and  women  as  were  ever  congregated  in  a  single 
community  —  a  body  composed  of  the  Crittendens,  Mon- 
roes, Moreheads,  Browns,  Letchers,  Harlans,  and  others 
of  like  character  —  embracing  not  only  distinguished 
men,  but  women  fitted  by  extraordinary  endowment  and 
culture  to  adorn  any  society  on  earth.  A'lost  of  these 
were  more  or  less  identified  with  his  church,  and  thus 
encompassed  the  youthful  pastor  with  a  stimulating  and 
refining  atmosphere,  that  was  of  incalculable  value  in 
the  process  of  his  development.  His  mind  and  person 
exhibited  the  visible  fruit  of  this  favored  environment. 
His  personality  was  distinguished  and  attractive,  and 
his  massive  and  towering  physical  frame  formed  a  fit 
abode  for  his  noble  and  lofty  spirit,  and  gentleness  and 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  73 

strength  were   exquisitely  blended  in  his   countenance 
and  bearing." 

Dr.  Bullock  continued  in  office  until  the  summer  of 
1846,  when  he  was  forced  by  impaired  health  to  resign. 
During  his  pastorate  Judge  Benjamin  Monroe,  Zephe- 
niah  Williams  and  William  J.  Phillips  were  ordained  as 
elders,  and  Richard  Knott  and  George  W.  Lewis,  dea- 
cons. The  church  was  very  loth  to  give  up  Dr.  Bullock, 
a  very  strong  attachment  existing  between  oastor  and 
people.  The  congregation,  by  unanimous  vote,  offered 
him  all  the  tim.e  he  might  desire  in  which  to  recruit  his 
health,  his  salary  to  continue  as  if  present,  but  he  was 
constrained  to  decline  their  ofTer. 

During  the  interim  between  this  and  the  next  pas- 
torate the  session  invited  in  succession  to  the  pastorate 
Rev.  Leroy  J.  Halsey,  of  Jackson,  Mississippi ;   Rev.  Dr. 
John  Teyburn,  of  Virginia;    Rev.  Dr.  Nathan  L.  Rice 
and  Dr.  Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  all  of  whom  declined. 
The  next  pastor  was  Rev.   Stuart  Robinson,  D.D., 
who  was  installed  in  June,  1847.     During  his  pastorate 
the  old  church  building  on  Wapping  Street   was   sold, 
and  the  present  edifice  erected  and  occupied.     This  was 
rendered  necessary,  as  the  old  church  was  insufficient 
to  accommodate  the  increased  congregations  drawn  to 
the   church   by  his   ministry.      Dr.    Robinson    resigned 
in  May,   1853.      The  church  was   strongly   opposed  to 
the  severance  of  the  relation,  and  by  unanimous  vote 
declined  to  unite  with  him  in  the  matter  before  Pres- 
bytery.    Among  other  resolutions  adopted  by  the  con- 
gregational meeting  was  one  requesting  Presbytery  to 
overture  the  General  Assembly  to  take  such  action  as 
wo:ild  secure  greater  permanency  to  the  pastoral  rela- 
tion, and  that  the  practice  of  one  church  caUing  the 


74  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

pastor  of  another  be  discountenanced  by  solemn  act  of 
the  Genera!  Assembly.  During  Dr.  Robinson's  min- 
istry here  Mr.  Asa  Farrar,  Richard  Knott  and  John  B. 
Temple  were  added  to  the  session,  and  Thomas  S.  Page, 
Daniel  Harris  and  William  T.  Herndon  to  the  Board 
of  Deacons. 

From  May,  1853,  to  December  following,  the  pulpit 
was  suppHed  by  Rev.  John  R.  Hendrick,  and  at  a  con- 
gregational meeting  in  November  he  was  elected  to  the 
pastorate,  but  declined  to  accept  the  call. 

In  July,  1854,  a  call  was  made  to  Rev.  Joshua  F. 
Green,  who  had  visited  and  preached  for  the  congre- 
gation, for  his  pastoral  services.  Pending  his  accept- 
ance, of  which  the  church  was  assured,  he  was  suddenly 
removed  by  death  from  a  ministry  of  great  usefulness 
and  promise. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  P.  Safiford,  who  was 
installed  in  February,  1855,  and  resigned  in  August, 
1857.  In  May,  1856,  Thomas  S.  Page  was  elected  ruHng 
elder,  and  Mr.  William  M.  Todd,  who  had  returned  to 
reside  in  the  city,  was  also  added  to  the  session.  At  the 
same  time  Dr.  J.  M.  Mills  was  elected  deacon. 

From  November,  1857,  to  April,  1858,  Rev.  J.  J. 
Bullock,  D.D.,  served  the  church  as  stated  supply.  At 
a  protracted  meeting  which  closed  this,  his  second 
term  of  service,  the  church  was  greatly  refreshed  and 
strengthened,  a  large  number  of  members  being  added. 
On  the  eve  of  his  departure  Dr.  Bullock  presided  as 
moderator  of  the  congregational  meeting,  which  called 
to  the  pastorate  Rev.  B.  T.  Lacy,  D.D.,  of  Virginia*. 
Dr.  Lacy  entercfl  upon  his  work  here  in  July.  1858,  and 
served  the  church  with  great  acceptance  and  success 
until  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War.  when  in  July,  1861, 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  75 

he  returned  to  his  native  State,  and  eventually  entered 
the  Southern  army  as  chaplain.  In  the  month  of  March, 
1862,  Presbytery  dissolved  the  relation  existing  between 
Dr.  Lacy  and  the  church.  During  this  pastorate  Messrs. 
E.  L.  Samuel  and  S.  C.  Bull  were  elected  and  installed 
in  the  deacon's  office. 

In  April,  1862,  at  a  congregational  meeting  mod- 
erated by  Rev.  Dr.  W.  C.  Matthews,  Rev.  John  S.  Hays 
was  elected  pastor,  and  entered  at  once  upon  the  duties 
of  the  office.  He  served  the  church  for  five  years,  which 
covered  the  critical  and  trying  period  of  the  Civil  War. 
Mr.  Hays  was  uncompromising  in  his  adherence  to  the 
government,  as  were  also  the  other  members  of  the 
session.  To  this  unanimity  of  sentiment  is  largely  due 
the  fact  that  this  church  did  not  divide  on  the  issues  of 
the  war,  as  did  many  others  in  the  State,  and  was  spared 
the  calamity  of  rending  asunder  its  membership,  which 
we  see,  even  to  this  late  day,  weakening  and  retarding 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky. 

Dr.  Hays  resigned  in  April,  1867,  and  removed  to 
Louisville.  During  his  pastorate  Messrs.  S.  C.  Bull, 
Hugh  Allen  and  W  H.  Averill  were  added  to  the 
session. 

In  July,  1867,  Rev.  J.  McClusky  Blayney  was  invited 
by  the  session  to  act  as  stated  supply  for  three  months, 
whfcb  arrangement  was  continued  two  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  time  Mr.  Blayney  removed  to  Albany, 
New  York,  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  that  city. 

In  October,  1868,  at  a  large  congregational  meeting, 
moderated  by  Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  Humphrey,  the  congre- 
gation extended  a  hearty  call  to  Rev.  Leroy  J.  Halsey, 
D.D.,  of  McCormick  Seminary,  who  had  been  previously 


76  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

called  to  this  church  in  1846,  while  pastor  in  Mississippi. 
Dr.  Haisey  held  the  call  under  consideration,  and  visited 
the  church,  supplying  it  during  the  ensuing  summer, 
when  he  declined  the  call  on  account  of  impaired  health. 

The  next  minister  who  served  this  church  was  Rev. 
J.  H.  Nesbitt,  who  was  called  in  Ma>',  1870,  nnd  served 
first  as  stated  supply,  then  as  pastor.  He  resigned  in 
May,  1876,  on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  his  son,  and 
sought  a  change  of  climate  in  the  mountains  of  Penn- 
sylvania. During  his  pastorate  Messrs.  E.  L.  Samuel 
and  D.  R.  Jones  were  added  to  the  session,  both  of 
whom  had  been  ordained  elsewhere.  At  the  same  time 
R.  K.  McClure  and  Frank  Chinn  were  made  deacons. 

In  June,  1876,  Rev.  William  R.  Brown,  then  at 
Peewee  Valley,  Kentucky,  was  elected  by  unanimous 
vote  to  the  pastorate  of  this  church.  On  account  of 
impaired  health.,  however,  he  was  led  to  decline  the  call, 
much  to  the  regret  of  the  congregation,  among  whom 
he  had  labored  for  a  short  season  with  great  acceptance. 

In  February.  1877.  Rev.  J.  W.  Pugh  accepted  a  call 
to  the  pastorate,  and  was  installed  in  the  month  of  May 
following.  He  remained  in  ofBce  until  December,  1882, 
when  he  resigned,  and  removed  to  labor  in  the  Synod  of 
Indiana.  In  July,  1877,  four  ruling  elders  were  ordained 
and  installed  —  George  A.  Robertson,  R.  K.  McClure, 
Frank  Chinn  and  W.  T.  Reading;  and  five  deacons 
were  added  to  that  Board  —  H.  H.  Watson,  W.  H. 
Sneed,  J.  W.  Pruett,  John  McClure  and  George  C. 
Watson. 

During  the  interim  of  1883  the  congregation 
extended  in  succession  calls  to  Rev.  J.  G.  Hunter,  D.D., 
then  at   Georgetown,   Kentucky,   and  to   Rev.   William 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  77 

Torrance,  D.D.,  then  at  Franklin,  Indiana,  both  of 
whom  dechned  to  leave  their  fields  of  labor. 

Rev.  J.  McClusky  Blayney,  D.D.,  came  to  this  church 
the  second  time  in  January,  1884.  He  was  on  his  way 
to  the  far  South  for  the  benefit  of  the  health  of  one  of 
his  sons,  and  came  by  Frankfort  to  pay  a  short  visit  to 
his  wife's  relatives.  He  found,  unexpectedly,  the  Frank- 
fort pastorate  vacant,  and  yielded  to  a  cordial  invitation 
of  the  session  to  remain  for  a  season,  and  preach  to  his 
old  charge.  This  resulted  in  the  foll6wing  month  in  a 
hearty  and  unanimous  call  to  the  pastorate,  and  in  the 
month  of  June  following  he  was  duly  installed  in  office. 

In  April,  1884,  the  following  additional  deacons  were 
elected :  Dr.  J.  O.  A.  Stewart,  William  Craik  and  Dr. 
Samuel  E.  James,  and  on  April  4th,  1890,  Mr.  Peter 
Rule  was  added  to  the  session.  In  January,  1895,  five 
nevv^  deacons  were  elected  and  ordained  —  Charles  E. 
Hoge,  T.  L.  Edelen,  W.  C.  Herndon,  J.  B.  Hendrick 
and  David  Nicol;  and  in  January,  1901,  Thomas  P. 
Averill  and  William  A.  Bull  were  added  to  the  same 
Board. 

On  December  5th,  1900,  in  compliance  with  the 
recommendation  of  the  General  Assembly  in  regard  to 
the  Twentieth  Century  Fund,  the  congregation  met  and 
took  up  the  matter  of  the  finances  of  the  church.  In 
order  to  enable  the  church  to  enter  upon  the  new  cen- 
tury free  of  debt  and  thus  comply  with  the  injunction 
of  the  Assembly,  the  congregation  proceeded  to  raise 
by  subscriiDtion  an  amount  sufficient  to  pay  ofT  the  float- 
ing debt  of  the  church,  amounting  to  about  twenty-four 
hundred  dollars.  This  amount  was  pledged  at  the  meet- 
ing, and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  collect  and  apply 


78  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

the  subscriptions  to  this  object,  and  at  a  subsequent 
meeting  reported  that  the  obhgations  were  all  dis- 
charged, and  the  church  closed  the  century  free  of  debt. 

The  present  pastor  has  now  entered  upon  the  nine- 
teenth year  of  his  successful  ministry  to  this  church, 
thus  covering  a  period  of  twice  the  length  of  service 
of  any  of  his  predecessors  in  the  office.  During  this 
time  the  number  of  members  has  doubled,  four  hun- 
dred having  been  added  upon  examination  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  by  certificate;  tUe  number  of  infants 
baptized,  two  himdred  and  sixty-two ;  adults,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six. 

At  the  close  of  the  nineteenth  and  the  opening  of 
the  twentieth  century  the  session  addressed  the  fol- 
lowing commimication  to  the  congregation,  which  was 
read  from  the  pulpit,  and  may  be  appropriately  inserted 
here  : 

"A   PASTORAL  LETTER," 

And  Message  of  Greeting-  from  the  Session  to  the  Congregation 

of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  January  i,  igoi. 

"Beloved  in  Christ:  It  has  ])een  deemed  by  us  both 
appropriate  and  fitting  at  this  time,  the  closing  of  the 
nineteenth  and  opening  of  the  twentieth  century,  to 
present  to  you  our  Christian  salutations  and  fraternal 
desires  for  your  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare.  At  the 
same  time  we  would  also  seek  the  prosperity  and  suc- 
cess of  our  beloved  church,  for  on  you  and  on  us, 
under  God,  its  fidelity  and  usefulness  depend. 

"  We  are  made  of  God  one  family  in  Christ,  and  if 
any  member  fails,  the  whole  family  suffers  loss.  Faith- 
fulness, then,  in  each  one  is  necessary  to  the  complete- 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  70 

ness  of  our  church  work  as  a  whole.  The  pastor  and 
session  have  a  duty  to  each  member,  so  equally  has 
each  member  a  duty  to  pastor  and  session,  and  every 
member  to  every  other  member.  Let  every  one,  then, 
be  true  to  all,  as  a  service  and  worship  to  God,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  law  of  Christ,  thus  showing  forth  the 
power  and  beauty  of  his  gospel. 

"  Among  other  ways  in  which  we  may  glorify  him 
and  help  each  other,  the  following  leading  duties  and 
privileges  are  ours : 

"  First  —  Regular  and  faithful  attendance  upon  all 
the  public  services  of  the  church,  including  especially 
both  services  of  the  Sabbath  and  the  weekly  prayer 
meeting,  and  if  providentially  absent  in  person,  by 
remembering  the  service  at  the  throne  of  grace. 

"  Second  —  Daily  family  worship  and  communion 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  in  prayer  and  reading  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  prayer  for  the  pastor  and  office-bearers  of 
the  church,  as  well  as  for  Sabbath-school  teachers  and 
other  Christian  workers,  the  labors  of  all  of  whom  may 
be  unfruitful  if  we  fail  to  do  our  part. 

"  Third  —  Cheerful  contributions,  as  God  gives  us 
the  ability,  to  our  church,  where  our  allegiance  is  first 
due,  and  by  assi'iting  by  our  active  co-operation  the 
dififerent  societies  of  Christian  work  in  our  congrega- 
tion, and  by  contributing  of  our  means  to  the  benevolent 
work  of  our  Church  at  large. 

"  Fourth  —  The  cultivation  of  '  fervent  charity  to  all 
mien,  and  especially  to  those  of  the  household  of  faith,' 
by  friendliness  and  sociability,  one  with  another,  and 
with  strangers  coming  to  our  midst. 

"  May  you  be  led  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  considering 


8o  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

these  susi'g-estions,  to  the  practical  determination  that 
will  bring  help  to  the  church  and  glory  to  the  Master. 

"  The  past  year  has  been  replete  with  blessings  to 
all  of  us.  With  good  gifts  and  tokens  of  his  love,  God 
has  visited  us  as  individuals,  as  families  and  as  a  church. 
If,  in  his  wisdom,  he  has  been  pleased  to  come  and  take 
one  and  another  of  our  loved  ones,  'to  be  with  him 
where  he  is,'  he  has  also  given  us  the  grace  of  submis- 
sion, and  enabled  us  to  say,  '  Thy  will  be  done.' 

"  With  his  spiritual  blessings,  he  has  also  loaded  us 
with  the  multiplied  gifts  of  his  providence,  and  given 
us  a  good  degree  of  bodily  health  wherewith  to  enjoy 
them.  In  the  closing  days  he  has  given  us  a  liberal 
spirit,  bv  which  we  have  been  enabled  to  free  his 
church  from  debt  and  enter  upon  the  new  century 
better  equipped  for  his  service. 

"  To  us  now,  one  and  all,  comes  the  question,  How 
shall  it  be  with  us  this  year  and  in  the  years  to  come? 
If  each  one,  in  humble  dependence  upon  the  leadings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  resolve  and  say,  I  will  do  what 
becomes  me  to  do  for  the  Master,  then  indeed  will  we 
come  to  the  end  with  songs  of  thanksgiving  and  anthems 
of  praise. 

"  And  now  let  us  engage  heartily  and  with  a  thankful 
spirit  in  the  Week  of  Prayer,  uniting  our  petitions  with 
those  of  the  Church  in  all  lands  for  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  salvation  of  souls  and 
for  the  coming  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  conversion 
of  the  world. 

"  Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from 
the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  Great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  8 1 

make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will, 
working  in  yoit  that  which  is  well  pleasing  in  his  sight, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and 
ever.     Amen ! 

"S.  C.  BuLi.. 

"  E.  L.  Samuel. 

"R.  K.  McClure. 

"  F.  Chinn. 

"W.  T.  Reading. 

"  J.  McClusky  Blayney,  Moderator. 
"W.  H.  AvERiLL,  Clerk." 


CENTENNIAL   SERVICES. 

Sabbath  day,  Alarch  31st,  1901,  which  closed  the 
nineteenth  century  work  of  our  General  Assembly,  was 
observed  by  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Frank- 
fort in  an  appropriate  and  suitable  manner  by  special 
services,  morning  and  evening,  signalizing  the  event. 
A  special  discourse  was  delivered  at  one  of  these  cen- 
tennial services  by  the  pastor,  in  which  he  outlined  the 
growth,  development  and  work  of  our  branch  of  the 
great  Presbyterian  Church  during  the  century  just 
closing. 

At  the  other  service  a  paper  was  read  by  the  clerk 
of  the  session  of  the  church,  which  had  been  prepared 
by  him  at  the  request  of  the  session,  in  which  was  given 
a  brief  account  of  the  century's  work  of  this  particular 
church.  Allusion  was  made  to  the  noble  and  conse- 
crated line  of  godly  men  and  women  who,  in  the 
church,  the  Sabbath-school  and  the  various  depart- 
ments of  Christian  activity,  aided  in  this  congregation's 


82  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

share  of  the  work  oi  the  century.  The  concluding  par- 
agraphs of  the  above  sketch  may  be  of  interest  to  some 
who  were  not  present  at  the  centennial  services,  which 
will  account  for  their  insertion  in  this  place : 

"  In  conclusion,  we  have  endeavored  in  this  brief 
paper  to  give  something  of  the  history  of  this,  our 
Frankfort  Church,  since  its  formation.  Many  items 
and  incidents  of  perhaps  equal  interest  have  been 
necessarily  omitted.  Some  of  these,  however,  may  be 
included  in  a  future  sketch,  in  a  more  permanent  form 
than  this  specially  prepared  paper. 

"  The  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  we  are  a  part, 
enters  to-day  the  threshold  of  the  twentieth  century 
far  better  equipped  for  the  Master's  service  than  ever 
before,  and  from  indications  it  looks  as  if  it  is  enter- 
ing upon  one  of  the  most  active  periods  of  its  history. 
The  Church  at  large,  and  especially  in  the  great  cen- 
ters of  influence,  is  in  an  attitude  of  expectancy  and 
prayer,  waiting  for  the  '  Forward  Movement  '  confi- 
dently expected  at  this  time.  As  a  Church  it  has  the 
best  theology,  and  at  the  same  time,  in  its  attitude 
to  other  religious  bodies,  it  is  the  broadest  and  most 
catholic  of  all  Churches.  It  has  the  best  form  of  gov- 
ernment, and  in  its  membership  it  has  had  in  the  past, 
and  has  to-day,  a  large  proportion  of  the  most  able, 
consecrated  and  influential  ministers  and  laymen  of 
the  Protestant  Church.  It  is  a  mighty  element  in  the 
Christian  forces  of  the  world,  standing  everywhere  for 
righteousness  and  evangelical  truth,  and  as  long  as  it 
continues  to  so  witness,  having  the  living  Christ  within 
•the  hearts  of  its  adherents,  giving  life  and  power  to  its 
activities,  so  long  will  God  acknowledge  and  honor  it 
as  one   of  his   chosen   representatives   upon   the   earth. 


FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  83 

To  be  a  Presbyterian  is,  and  always  has  been,  a  good 
reason  for  gratnlation.  Let  us  now  and  henceforth, 
as  Presbyterians  and  members  of  Christ's  body,  yield 
ourselves  to  the  leadings  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  and  each 
one,  in  our  own  sphere  of  labor  and  influence,  endeavor 
to  do  our  whole  duty  to  God  and  to  his  Church,  in 
which  he  has  highly  honored  us  to  be  co-laborers 
together  with  him.  And  have  we  not  an  inspiration, 
as  it  were,  in  the  examples  of  those  who  have  preceded 
us  in  this  church?  It  is  needless  to  call  their  names. 
We  remember  them  well.  Not  a  family  in  this  church 
but  has  a  priceless  heritage  in  the  godly,  consecrated 
anc^  beautiful  lives  of  loved  ones  gone  before  —  grand- 
parents, father,  mother,  husband,  wife,  beloved  child, 
brother,  sister,  friend.  Let  us  follow  in  their  footsteps, 
in  so  far  as  they  were  enabled  to  follow  Christ,  and  in 
humble  gratitude  for  what  our  beloved  church  has  been 
enabled  and  permitted  to  do  for  the  Master  in  the  past, 
we  would  devoutly  say,  *  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto 
us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  glory,  for  thy  mercy  and  thy 
truth's  sake.'  " 


BUILDINGS. 

Well  founded  tradition  states  that  the  first  sermon 
preached  within  the  precincts  of  this  settlement  was  in 
1787.  The  preacher,  whose  identity  is  unknown,  was 
an  itinerant  Baptist  minister,  who,  passing  by,  gathered 
the  scattered  settlers  together  for  a  rehgious  service. 
There  being  no  suitable  room,  and  the  weather  being 
propitious,  the  meeting  was  held  in  the  open  air.  The 
canopy  was  formed  by  the  wide-spreading  branches  of 
an  immense  gum  tree,  which  stood  near  where  Wapping 


84  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

now  joins  Wilkinson  Street,  and  whose  ample  foliage 
sheltered  the  little  congregation  from  the  sun's  rays. 
The  good  man  went  on  his  way,  and  the  effect  of  his 
service  here  is  unknown.  The  auditors  have  all  passed 
av/ay  generation?  ago,  and  the  noble  tree  itself  finally 
succumbed  to  the  ravages  of  time  and  went  down  in  a 
storm  in  the  year  1858. 

As  stated  elsewhere,  our  church  for  several  years 
after  its  organization  had  no  building  of  its  own. 
"  The  Publick  Meeting-House,"  wh.ich  had  been  erected 
on  the  Capitol  grounds  by  the  citizens  of  the  town,  by 
very  questionable  means,  was  neither  a  pleasant  nor 
profitable  place  in  which  to  worship,  and  some  years 
before  its  destruction  by  fire,  the  Presbyterians,  who 
had  been  occupying  it  one  Sabbath  each  month,  ceased 
using  it  altogether,  and  thenceforth  conducted  all  their 
public  worship  in  the  Love  House,  which  had  been  their 
principal  meeting  place.  This  place  they  continued  to 
occupy  until  the  First  Church  ])uilding  on  Wapping 
Street  was  erected. 

In  1823  a  lot  of  ground,  100  x  200  feet,  on  Wapping 
Street,  was  bought,  and  the  congregation  began  at  once 
the  buiUHng  of  a  house  of  worship  of  their  own.  It  was 
completed  during  the  following  year.  The  material  was 
brick,  laid  in  the  beautiful  Flemish  bond,  of  close  joints 
and  superior  mortar,  in  vogue  at  that  period.  Two 
doors  were  provided  for  entrance,  one  for  each  sex, 
which  were  scrupulously  kept  apart,  the  men  entering 
the  right  door  and  the  women  the  left.  Upon  entering 
the  worshipers  faced  tlie  high  boxed  pulpit  at  the  rear, 
and  the  seats  were  placed  on  a  level  floor,  with  a  gallery 
across  the  room  just  above  the  doors. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  five  years  later,  in  April, 


C/) 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  87 

1829,  the  church  having  been  greatly  strengthened  by 
the  accession  of  members,  extensive  akerations  and 
improvements  were  determined  upon,  including  the 
removal  of  the  gallery  from  the  front  to  the  rear  end 
of  the  church,  also  placing  the  pulpit  between  the  front 
doors,  and  inclining  the  floor  upward  from  front  to  rear 
"  in  convenient  theatrical  form."  The  improvements 
also  included  the  introduction  of  new  and  more  com- 
fortable seats,  and  the  erection  of  ^  a  cupola  in  the 
middle  of  the  front  wall,  which  was  to  be  carried  up 
and  strengthened  in  order  to  sustain  the  additional 
weight  of  a  bell,  which  was  to  be  procured  as  soon  as 
practicable.  A  committee  of  solicitors,  consisting  of 
an  equal  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  headed  by 
Mr.  Alexander  Robertson,  was  appointed  to  raise  the 
funds  by  subscription,  and  a  commission  was  named, 
composed  of  Judge  B.  Mills,  John  J.  Vest  and  Jarvis 
Russell,  "  to  execute,  superintend  and  direct  the  work, 
with  full  power  to  perform  the  same,  to  be  governed  by 
their  discretion  and  the  amount  of  funds  raised." 

From  subsequent  records  we  learn  that  the  improve- 
ments were  completed,  but  no  funds  remained  over  for 
the  purchase  of  the  bell.  The  congregation,  however, 
went  energetically  to  work  collecting  bell  metal,  which, 
after  much  delay,  was  at  last  secured,  and  shipped  by 
river  to  Pittsburg,  and  in  due  course  of  time,  1832,  the 
bell  arrived  and  was  put  in  place,  as  we  note  in  a 
financial  report  made  by  the  deacons  in  January,  1833.* 

Wood-burning  stoves  were  used  for  heating  and 
candles  for  lighting,  but  lamps  consuming  sperm  oil 
were  introduced  later  on,  as  shown  by  accounts  on  file. 


*  See  Appendix. 


88  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

This  building  served  the  requirements  of  the  congre- 
gation for  about  twenty-five  years,  until  under  the  min- 
istrations of  Dr.  Bullock  and  his  successor,  Dr.  Stuart 
Robinson,  it  had  so  increased  that  a  larger  and  better 
appointed  building  was  considered  necessary.  In  1849 
the  church  property,  with  the  adjacent  parsonage,  was 
sold  to  Rev.  J.  M.  Lancaster  for  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  That  congregation  then  proceeded  to  erect 
their  new  church  building  around  and  over  the  old 
church,  which  it  continued  to  use  until  the  new  l:)uilding 
was  roofed  in,  and  then  it  was  taken  out. 

Our  congregation  moved  into  their  new  church  in 
the  latter  part  of  March,  1849,  using  the  lower  or  Sab- 
bath-school room  until  the  main  auditorium  was  com- 
pleted. The  pastor.  Dr.  Stuart  Robinson,  was  very 
active  in  promoting  this  move  of  the  congregation,  and 
to  his  energy  and  directing  care  the  success  of  the 
undertaking  was  largely  due.  The  location  was  well 
chosen,  although  the  "  lay  of  the  land  "  was  not  at  the 
time  altogether  favorable.  It  required,  in  addition  to 
that  obtained  from  the  excavation,  a  large  amount  of 
earth  to  level  up  the  site,  one  bill  alone  being  for  one 
hundred  loads.  While  yet  in  an  unfinished  condition 
the  ladies  of  the  congregation  conducted  a  "  fair  "  in 
the  main  auditorium,  lasting  three  days,  for  raising 
fur.ds  for  the  furnishing  of  the  church.  On  at  least 
one  of  the  evenings  there  was  a  very  large  attendance 
of  citizens,  for  by  special  invitation  the  guest  of  the 
occasion  was  General  Zachary  Taylor,  then  President- 
elect of  the  United  States,  on  his  way  to  his  inaugura- 
tion. He  was  met  at  the  wharf  by  a  large  concourse 
of  citizens,  with  a  military  escort  composed  of  soldiers 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  89 

who  fought  under  him  in  Mexico,  and  thence  conducted 
to  the  church,  where  he  held  his  reception. 

The  building  was  erected  by  Mr.  Beaverson,  a  local 
architect  and  contractor,  at  a  cost  to  the  congregation 
of  about  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  Although  there 
were  errors  in  the  plans,  as  well  as  in  the  construction, 
yet  for  comfort,  and  for  acoustic  properties,  the  main 
auditorium  is  unexcelled  by  the  more  modern  churches. 
As  at  first  constructed  there  were  galleries  on  the  sides 
of  the  upper  room,  but  after  about  twenty  years  these 
were  removed.  At  the  same  time  the  present  stained- 
glass  windows  were  added.  The  next  change  made  was 
the  removal  of  the  old-style  high  pulpit  and  the  substi- 
tution of  the  platform  and  reading  desk  now  in  use. 
An  entire  new  seating,  of  modern,  curved  and  most 
approved  pews,  was  also  introduced,  together  with 
the  "  sunlight  apparatus "  for  illuminating  the  main 
auditorium. 

It  needs  no  apology  for  a  brief  allusion  in  this  place 
to  a  line  of  useful  and  important  men  in  church  affairs, 
much  discussed  and  written  about  wherever  churches 
abound.  Tt  has  been  asserted  by  some  perhaps  super- 
sensitive and  nervous  people,  that  "  the  sexton  (or  jani- 
tor) was  a  more  important  factor  in  the  public  worship 
of  the  congregation  than  the  man  in  the  pulpit."  With- 
out going  as  far  as  this  contention,  it  may  be  safely  said 
that  the  health,  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the  congre- 
gation frequently  depend  upon  the  wisdom,  common 
sense  and  efficiency  of  that  official,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  composed  frame  of  mind  and  spirit,  so  necessary 
to  the  devout  worshiper,  which  is  sometimes  indirectly 
in  his  keeping. 

The  sextons  who  have  served  in  this   church  have 


90  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

in  the  main  ^iven  satisfaction,  judging  from  the  length 
of  their  terms  of  service : 

William   Miles 1826— 1840 

Henry    Clarke 1840 — 1856 

Thomas  Lee 1856 — 1876 

Clifford  Vane 1876— 1882 

Henry  Weisiger 1882 — 1896 

Jame?  Woolfolk T896  to  date. 


MINISTERS. 
REV.   ELI   SMITH. 

Rev.  Eh  Smith,  the  first  minister  who  served  our 
Frankfort  Church,  was  a  New  England  man.  Reared 
in  Massachusetts,  he  enjoyed  the  best  educational 
advantages,  and  after  completing  his  theological  train- 
ing, he  came  West.  His  first  settled  work  was  at 
Frankfort,  where  in  1817  he  took  charge  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  about  a  year  after  its  organization, 
and  served  it  with  zeal  and  ability  until  the  latter  part 
of  1827.  In  1829  he  removed  to  Bourbon  •  County, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  as  pastor  of 
the  churches  of  Greer's  Creek  and  Paris,  departing  this 
life  in  the  year  1839. 

While  in  charge  of  the  Frankfort  Church  he  fre- 
quently m.inistered  to  the  country  churches,  Upper  and 
Lower  Benson,  and  for  some  time  supplied  them  regu- 
larly. He  was  largely  instrumental  in  holding  these 
churches  together  when,  owing  to  various  causes,  they 
were  almost  in  a  state  of  suspended  animation.  INIr. 
Smith  was  an  earnest  and  very  acceptable  preacher, 
especially  to  Christian  people.  He  was  gifted  with  a 
most  remarkable  memor}',  being  able  to  retain  and  make 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  93 

available  for  use  anything  he  had  ever  read  or  heard. 
He  never  wrote  his  sermons,  and  destroyed  the  brief 
notes  used  in  the  pulpit.  Soon  after  locating  in  Frank- 
fort he  returned  to  ^Massachusetts  and  married  Aliss 
Mary  Brown,  of  Xewburyport,  who  survived  him  about 
fifty  years.  She  is  very  pleasantly  remembered  by  our 
older  members,  as  she  made  visits  at  stated  intervals 
to  her  old  friends  of  Frankfort  up  to  the  time  of  her 
death,  in  1889.  The  remains  of  this  worthy  pair  rest 
side  by  side  in  our  cemetery.  To  them  were  born  sev- 
eral children.  One  daughter  married  Rev.  Ben  ^Mills, 
of  this  city,  and  the  only  son,  Eli  Smith,  Jr.,  was  a 
minister  of  our  Church,  and  labored  in  the  Synods  of 
Indiana,  Illinois  and  Missouri. 

FEV.   JOHN    TODD    F.DG.aR.    D.D. 

Rev.  John  Todd.  Edgar,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky,  in  1793.  His  name  first  appears  on  the 
roll  of  the  Synod  in  181 7.  He  came  to  Frankfort  in 
December,  1827,  and  took  charge  of  this  church  as 
stated  supply.  He  found  it  in  a  confused  and  disor- 
ganized condition,  without  officers,  save  one  elder,  and 
he  a  non-resident.  Shortly  after  his  coming  the  church 
was  greatly  strengthened  by  accessions,  which  gave 
material  for  office-bearers,  and  it  was  at  once  reorgan- 
ized by  the  election  of  a  full  bench  of  ruling  elders 
and  a  board  of  deacons.  In  March,  1829,  Mr.  Edgar 
accepted  a  call  to  the  pastor's  office,  which  he  held  until 
July,  1833,  when  he  removed  to  Nashville,  Tennessee. 
He  took  charge  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  that  city,  and  in  it  he  ended  his  labors  in  the 
year  i860.  Dr.  Edgar  was  greatly  beloved  by  this  con- 
gregation, and  very  highly  esteemed  by  the  whole  com- 


94  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

munity.  He  was  a  man  of  very  popular  manners  and 
address,  and  an  eloquent  and  successful  preacher.  He 
was  the  acknowledged  pulpit  orator  of  the  Svnod,  and 
his  services  were  constantly  in  demand  elsewhere  while 
pastor  here. 

The  following  tribute  is  from  a  Nashville  paper, 
November  14th,  i860 : 

"  Rev.  John  T.  Edgar,  pastor  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  died  of  apoplexy  at  8  A.M.  yesterday. 
He  conducted  services  as  usual  in  his  church  on  the 
previous  evening,  afterward  attended  a  business  meet- 
ing of  the  church  officers,  and  entertained  company  at 
his  house  until  ten  o'clock,  and  then  retired.  At  one 
o'clock  he  was  stricken,  and  did  not  regain  conscious- 
ness. His  long  residence  in  our  city,  his  eminent  and 
distinguished  services  in  the  pulpit,  his  identification 
for  so  many  years  with  every  work  of  charity  and  benev- 
olence, caused  him  to  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  no 
class  or  limited  circle,  but  to  the  whole  community. 
His  death  will  be  universally  mourned  as  a  public  calam- 
ity. His  great  goodness  of  heart,  his  gentle  and  win- 
ning manners,  his  readiness  and  alacrity  in  responding 
at  all  times  to  demands  made  upon  him,  which  were 
frequent  and  continuous,  will  be  remembered  with 
gratitude  for  many,  many  years." 

REV.    D.A.NIEL   BAKER,   D.D. 

Rev.  Daniel  Baker,  D.D.,  was  pastor  of  this  church 
from  July,  1835,  to  November,  1836.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  noted  and  successful  evangelists  and  home 
missionaries  of  his  time,  laboring  in  Virginia,  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas  previous  to  his  work  in  Kentucky, 
and  afterward  in  Alabama  and  other  Southern  States, 


^CL^    ^X>.=^< 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  py 

and  more  especially  in  Texas.  In  this  latter  State  he 
did  a  great  work  in  bringing  the  Gospel  to  that  section, 
then  almost  entirely  destitute  of  religious  influences, 
and  was  the  founder  and  principal  promoter  of  Austin 
College,  in  the  interest  of  which  he  made  several  tours 
through  the  Eastern  States. 

Dr.  Baker  was  descended  from  Puritan  stock ;  was 
born  in  Midway,  Georgia,  August,  1791,  to  which  sec- 
tion his  parents  had  removed  from  Dorchester,  Mas- 
sachusetts, members  of  a  colony  which  had  been  formed 
into  a  church  in  their  New  England  home,  "  for  the 
purpose  of  removing  to  the  Carolinas  and  promoting 
the  cause  of  religion  ni  the  Southern  plantations." 
After  many  hardships  and  reverses  the  colony  finally 
located  in  Liberty  County,  Georgia,  in  1754.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  Daniel  Baker  entered  Hampden  Sidney 
College,  Virginia,  then  under  the  charge  of  Dr.  Moses 
Hoge,  where  he  spent  two  years  in  study.  He  then 
took  the  course  at  Princeton  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated with  high  honors.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Winchester  October,  181 6.  His  first  charge 
was  in  Harrisonburg-,  Virginia,  where  he  was  ordained 
and  installed  March,  1818.  He  afterward  served  as 
pastor  of  churches  in  Washington  City  and  Savannah, 
and  then,  declining  calls  to  various  other  churches,  he 
took  up  the  worlc  of  an  evangelist,  for  which  he  had 
special  gifts  and  a  great  love.  He  continued  in  this 
congenial  labor  for  two  years  in  the  Southern  Atlantic 
States  and  at  several  points  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  Vis- 
iting Kentucky  in  1834,  he  was  present  at  the  meeting 
of  Synod  at  Danville,  and  was  invited  to  labor  as  evan- 
gelist in  the  Kentucky  churches.  Among  other  places 
in  which  he  preached  was  Frankfort,  and  at  the  close 


^8  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

of  the  protracted  meeting  he  received  a  call  by  unani- 
mous vote  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  recently 
vacated  by  Dr.  Edgar.  He  accepted  the  call,  and 
served  the  church  with  great  acceptance  for  about 
three  years.  While  here  he  served  as  chaplain  to  the 
State  Penitentiary,  holding  a  service  at  nine  A.M.  He 
also  supplied  the  pulpit,  once  or  tw^ice  a  month,  of  the 
Lower  Benson  Church,  often  preaching  four  times  on 
Sabbath.  A  very  strong  attachment  existed  between 
Dr.  Baker  and  the  people  of  this  charge,  in  which  his 
labors  were  greatly  blessed.  In  1837  he  removed  to 
Alabama,  accepting  a  call  to  the  church  at  Tuscaloosa, 
where  he  was  pastor  until  1840,  when  he  accepted  an 
appointment  by  the  General  Assembly's  Board  of  Mis- 
sions to  labor  as  missionary  in  Texas.  After  some 
months  of  evangelistic  work,  he  was  compelled,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  to  return  to  his  home,  and  later 
served  the  church  at  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  as 
pastor  until  1848.  Returning  to  Texas,  he  resumed 
the  work  there,  first  as  evangelist,  and  then  as  agent 
of  Austin  Presbyterian  College,  in  which  he  took  a 
great  interest,  giving  it  the  best  service  of  his  latter 
days.  Dr.  Baker  died  in  Austin  in  December,  1857, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  universally  lamented  by  all 
classes  of  people,  and  especially  by  the  church  and  the 
college  which  he  had  so  faithfully  served. 

REV.   JOSEPH    TAATES    BULLOCK,    D.D. 

Rev.  Joseph  James  Bullock,  D.D.,  who  was  pastor 
of  this  church  from  October,  1837,  to  August,  1846, 
was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Kentucky,  December  23d, 
1812.  He  was  the  son  of  Waller  Bullock,  who  was  a 
man  widely  known  and  esteemed   for  his  wisdom  and 


.    /3  .iyt^c^^ 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  lOI 

integrity,   and   for    many   years    a    ruling   elder   in    the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

Joseph,  the  eldest  son,  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion at  the  school  near  by  the  family  home,  at  Walnut 
Hills,  and  while  still  quite  young  was  sent  to  Transyl- 
vania University.  Later  he  attended  Centre  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1832.  He  read  law  for  a  short 
time,  and  was  tutor  in  Centre  College,  and  afterward 
studied  theology  with  Dr.  John  C.  .Young,  President 
of  Centre  College.  In  1835  he  went  to  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  entering  the  Middle  class,  and 
after  finishing  the  course  returned  to  Kentucky,  and 
was  licensed  by  West  Lexington  Presbytery  in  Sep- 
tember, 1836.  In  the  following  December  he  was 
invited  by  the  church  at  Frankfort  to  supply  the  pulpit 
for  a  period  of  twelve  months,  and  entered  at  once  upon 
the  work,  but  before  the  end  of  this  term  he  received 
a  unanimous  call  to  the  pastorate,  and  was  ordained 
and  installed  October  7th,  1837.  While  in  Frankfort 
he  served  the  v^tate  as  the  first  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  having  been  appointed  to  that  office  by  Gov- 
ernor Clarke.  Owing  to  impaired  health,  he  resigned 
the  Frankfort  pastorate  in  August,  1846,  and  for  two 
years  served  as  Corresponding  Secretary  and  General 
Agent  of  the  Board  of  Domestic  ^lissions  for  the 
West  and  Southwest.  In  184S  he  became  pastor  of 
the  church  at  Walnut  Hills,  and  Principal  of  the  noted 
Female  Seminary  there,  and  at  the  same  time  supplied 
the  pulpit  of  Salem  Church,  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Clark.  In  1850  he  received  the  degree  of  D.D.,  which 
was  conferred  by  Centre  College.  After  serving  the 
Second  Church,  Louisville,  as  pastor  from  185^  to  1855, 
he  returned  to  Walnut  Hills,  and  resumed  charge  of  the 


I02  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Female  Seminary,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  year 
i860.  During  a  part  of  this  period,  in  1857  and  1858, 
he  supplied  tlie  pulpit  of  his  first  charge,  the  church  of 
Frankfort,  which  was  then  without  a  pastor.  During 
i860  and  a  portion  of  1861  he  acted  as  Financial  Agent 
of  Danville  Theological  Seminary,  and  in  1861  became 
pastor  of  the  Franklin  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  of 
Baltimore.  This  church  he  served  until  1870,  when 
he  resigned  to  accept  a  call  to  the  Second  Church  of 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  In  1874  he  became  pastor  of 
the  First  Church,  Alexandria,  remaining  in  charge 
until  1880.  From  1879  to  1884  he  was  chaplain  of 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  During  the  last 
eight  years  of  his  life  he  resided  in  Washington  City 
without  any  regular  charge,  but  as  his  health  permit- 
ted he  diligently  preached  whenever  opportunity  was 
afforded.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  member  of 
the  Committee  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions  of  the 
Southern  General  Assembly,  and  for  more  than  twenty 
years  was  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Hampden  Sidney.  The  Church  hon- 
ored him  with  the  Aloderatorship  of  the  Centennial 
General  Assembly,  which  met  in  his  old  church  in  the 
city  of  Baltimore  in  May,   1888. 

While  on  a  visit  to  his  children  in  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, Dr.  Bullock,  after  a  short  illness,  died  November 
9th,  1892,  in  his  eightieth  year.  Dr.  Bullock  married, 
in  October,  1832,  Miss  Caroline  L.  Breckinridge,  whose 
mother,  Mary  Clay  Smith,  was  a  daughtei  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  President  of  Princeton  Col- 
lege, whose  wife,  Ann  Witherspoon,  was  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  John  Witherspoon.  the  most  illustrious  of  the 
fathers  of  the  I^-,-sbvterian  Church.     Bv  this  marriasfe 


^^cr^vi.<^ 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  105 

Dr.  Bullock  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom,  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  survived  him.  The  second  wife, 
whom  he  married  in  1869,  was  IMrs.  Elizabeth  T.  Lav- 
ender, who,  with  one  son  by  this  marriage,  is  now 
living  in  Washington   City. 

For  the  people  of  this,  his  first  charge,  Dr.  Bullock 
entertained  a  very  tender  and  lifelong  affection,  and  his 
visits,  at  intervals  during  his  latter  years,  to  his  old 
friends  here,  and  his  pulpit  ministrations,  were  greatly 
enjoyed  by  both  himself  and  this  congregation. 

In  a  memorial  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  Virginia  at 
his  death  it  is  said : 

"  Dr.  Bullock's  work  in  his  many  fields  of  labor 
was  eminently  successful.  His  preaching  was  in  a  high 
degree  spiritual,  presenting  the  great  doctrines  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  a  form  and  manner  that  was  impressive, 
persuasive  and  eloquent  to  a  degree  that  was  seldom 
equaled.  All  his  noble  qualities  as  a  Christian  man 
passed  over  into  his  sermons,  and  gave  them  a  won- 
derful power  over  the  hearts  of  his  hearers.  He 
retained  his  mental  and  physical  vigor  with  remark- 
able continuity  throughout  his  long  life,  extending  to 
the  close  of  his  eightieth  year,  and  a  few  davs  before 
his  death  preached  a  sermon  of  exceptional  power  at 
Lexington." 

REV.  STUART  ROBINSON,  D.D. 
Rev.  Stuart  Robinson,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Strabone, 
Tyrone  County,  Ireland,  November  14th,  1814.  His 
parents  removed  to  .\merica  in  181 5,  and  after  a  short 
residence  in  New  Vork  City,  settled  in  Martinsburg, 
Virginia,  where  the  mother  died  in  1819.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian,  a  most  pious  woman, 


I06  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

and  endowed  with  a  strong  mind,  and  she  transmitted 
her  character  to  her  six  sons,  especially  to  I'tuart,  the 
fifth  born.  Soon  after  her  death  the  father  married 
again,  and  for  some  cause  the  family  of  sons  became 
scattered.  At  the  early  age  of  six  years  Stuart  was 
placed  with  an  old  German  farmer,  a  Presbyterian,  who 
discovered  in  the  lad  a  wonderful  aptitude  for  acquiring 
knowledge,  and  sent  him  to  school  with  his  own  chil- 
dren. The  Rev.  J.  M.  Brown,  Presbyterian  minister  of 
the  neighboring  church,  being  attracted  by  the  remark- 
able mind  of  the  boy,  assumed  care  of  his  education, 
and  took  him  to  his  own  house.  Under  his  care  Stuart 
remained  until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when  he  was  sent 
to  Amherst  College.  Here  he  remained  three  years, 
graduating  with  distinction  in  1834,  in  a  class  which  has 
given  to  the  Church  and  country  a  number  of  eminent 
ministers  and  statesmen. 

With  the  assistance  of  the  Board  of  Education  he 
entered  Union  Theological  Seminary,  in  which  he 
completed  the  two  years'  course  of  study,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two.  He  then  took  charge  of  a  school  in 
Charleston,  West  \'irginia,  which  he  conducted  for  two 
years,  saving  sufficient  funds  to  repay  the  Board  for 
the  amount  advanced  for  his  theological  studies  and  to 
enable  him  to  spend  a  year  in  study  at  Princeton. 

He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1841,  and  was  married 
in  September  of  the  same  year  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Brig- 
ham.  He  took  charge  of  Maiden  Church,  near  Charles- 
ton, West  Virginia,  where  he  remained  several  years, 
during  which  time  he  did  a  great  deal  of  missionarv 
work  in  the  destitute  regions  of  the  adjacent  moun- 
tains. And  it  was  during  this  period  that  he  supplied 
for  several  months  the  pulpit  of  the  Second  Presbyte- 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  IO7 

rian  Church  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  during  the  absence 
of  the  pastor,  Rev.  E.  P.  Humphrey,  a  college  mate,  who 
had  been  compelled  to  seek  renewed  health  in  travel 
abroad.  During  this  residence  in  Louisville  he  became 
known  to  the  Church  in  Kentucky,  and  so  tavorably  in 
Louisville  that  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  becond 
Church  some  years  afterward,  he  was  called  to  the  pas- 
torate. In  September,  1846,  he  was  called  to  the  church 
at  Frankfort,  and  was  duly  installed  oi:\  June  17th,  1847. 
During  his  pastorate  of  six  years  this  church  was  greatly 
strengthened.  His  great  ability  and  power  as  a  preacher 
attracted  to  the  church  large  congregations,  including 
the  prominent  men  of  the  city,  State  officers,  judges  of 
the  courts  and  members  of  the  bar,  which  at  that  time 
contained  a  number  of  distinguished  men.  It  was  soon 
evident  to  all  that  the  church  was  too  small  for  the 
increased  congregations,  and  the  large  and  commodious 
building  now  occupied  by  the  church  was  erected.  He 
organized  and  personally  conducted  in  South  Frankfort 
a  Female  Seminary  of  high  grade,  in  which  many  of  the 
young  ladies  of  Frankfort  and  adjacent  towns  received 
a  liberal  education.  This  school  was  under  the  care  of 
the  session  of  the  church,  and  had  an  efficient  corps 
of  teachers,  under  Dr.  Robinson's  superintending  care. 
He  also  became  a  promoter  and  leader  in  various  enter- 
prises for  the  good  and  the  development  of  the  city,  but 
in  all  these  his  duties  to  the  church  were  by  no  means 
neglected,  for  to  it  and  its  work  and  interests  he  gave 
his  best  labors. 

In  1854  Dr.  Robinson  removed  to  Baltimore,  and  in 
1858  was  called,  by  the  General  Assembly,  from  the 
Central  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city  to  the  Chair 
of  Church  Government  and  Pastoral  Theology  in  tlie 


I08  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Theological  Seminary  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  which 
position  he  held  for  two  years.  He  then  became  pastor 
of  the  Second  Church,  Louisville,  which  relation  he  sus- 
tained until  June,  1881,  when  on  account  of  enfeebled 
health  he  resigned  the  active  duties  of  the  office  and 
continued  as  '"  pastor  emeritus  "  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  the  following  October.  His  death  was  greatly 
lamented  by  all  classes  of  society,  and  more  especially 
by  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  State  and  country. 

Dr.  Robinson  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  character. 
He  had  a  wonderful  intellect,  which,  strengthened  by 
large  research,  made  him  a  power  both  in  and  out  of 
the  pulpit,  a  great  leader  in  the  Church  and  famous 
throughout  the  country. 

As  an  editor  and  writer  he  had  no  superiors  in  his 
time,  and  as  a  preacher  and  expounder  of  the  Scriptures 
he  had  few  equals. 

REV.   JEFFERSON   PRICE   SAFFORD,    D.D. 

Rev.  Jefferson  Price  Safford  was  born  in  Zanesville, 
Ohio,  September  22d,  1823.  He  received  his  prepara- 
tory education  in  the  Mclntire  Academy,  of  his  native 
town ;  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Ohio,  at 
Athens,  in  1843.  He  taught  school  at  Covington,  Ken- 
tucky, from  1843  to  1845 ;  at  the  Indianapolis  Academy 
from  1845  to  1847,  '^i'"^^^  was  Professor  of  Mathematics 
from  1847  to  1848  in  the  Baptist  College,  Covington, 
Kentucky.  He  then  entered  the  Seminary  at  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey,  where  he  took  a  three  years"  course 
in  theology.  He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Philadelphia  in  April,  1851.  He  taught  in  Richmond 
(Virginia)  Academy  from  1852  to  1854,  at  the  same  time 


^^'^^^^^^W^i^ 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  hi 

supplyino;  the  church  at  Bethlehem,  Virginia.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1855,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the 
Frankfort  Church  by  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexing- 
ton, and  resigned  the  charge  in  September,  1857.  His 
successive  fields  of  labor  after  Frankfort  were :  Pastor 
Piqua,  Ohio,  First  Church,  November,  1857,  to  Decem- 
ber, 1862;  pastor  First  Church,  New  Albany,  Indiana, 
December,  1862,  to  May,  1867;  District  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Home  Missions  for  Ohio  ,and  Indiana  from 
May,  1867,  to  January,  1870.  In  1868  he  returned  to 
his  old  home,  Zanesville,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 
For  two  years  he  acted  as  President  of  Zanesville  Uni- 
versity. He  was  the  Stated  Clerk  of  Zanesville  Pres- 
bytery from  1873,  and  of  the  Synod  of  Columbus  from 
1876  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1881. 
While  living  in  Zanesville  he  supplied  in  succession  the 
following  churches :  Brownsville,  Fairmount  Church, 
Roseville  Church,  l^niontown,  Hanover,  Kirkersville, 
Claysville  and  West  Carlisle  Churches. 

Dr.  Safiford  ended  his  active  and  useful  ministry  in 
his  lifty-eighth  year.  He  was  a  man  of  vigorous  mind, 
of  more  than  common  originality  of  thought.  He  was 
a  close  student,  an  accomplished  Greek  and  Hebrew 
scholar,  was  possessed  of  a  warm  heart  and  kindly 
humor,  which  drew  to  him  many  friends  in  the  fields 
of  his  labors.  The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  upon 
him  in  1855  by  Washington  College,  Pennsylvania.  Dr. 
SalTord  in  1852  was  married  to  Miss  Cornelia  M.  Rav, 
of  Indianapolis,  who,  with  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
survives  him. 


112  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

REV.  bp:verly  tucker  lacy,  d.d. 

Rev.  Beverly  Tucker  Lacy  was  born  in  Prince 
Edward  County,  Virginia,  February  21st,  181 9.  His 
father,  Rev.  William  Sterling  Lacy,  removed  to  Mis- 
souri in  1821,  where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  went 
to  Tennessee,  where  he  reared  his  family.  After  receiv- 
ing his  preparatory  education  from  his  father,  Beverly 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law,  designing  to  make  that 
his  profession.  About  this  time  he  united  with  the 
church  of  which  his  father  was  pastor,  and  at  once  deter- 
mined to  change  his  profession  and  study  for  the  Gospel 
ministry.  With  this  end  in  view  he  entered  Washington 
College,  \'irginia,  from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class 
of  1843.  He  studied  theology  at  Princeton  Seminary 
under  Drs.  Archibald  Alexander,  Charles  Hodge  and 
Samuel  Miller,  graduating  in  the  class  of  '46.  Among 
his  classmen  were  several  v/ho  afterward  became  distin- 
guished in  the  Church:  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  Dr. 
Archibald  A.  Hodge,  Dr.  William  M.  Scott,  Dr.  Henry 
J.  Van  Dyke  and  Dr.  Samuel  B.  McPheeters. 

Mr.  Lacy's  first  charge  was  Kent  Street  Church, 
Winchester,  Virginia,  where  he  was  ordained  pastor  in 
1847,  which  he  served  for  five  years. 

In  1847  ^^^-  La-cy  was  married  to  Miss  Agnes  Alex- 
ander, his  second  cousin,  and  niece  of  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander.  She  died  in  1852,  and  was  a  lady  remark- 
able for  her  loveliness  of  disposition  and  lofty  Christian 
character.  She  left  a  son,  John  x^lexander  Lacy,  who 
w^as  spared  to  minister  to  and  comfort  the  father  in  his 
declining  years,  and  is  yet  living,  an  honored  member 
of  the  bar  in  Washington  City. 

After  Winchester,  Mr.  Lacy's  next  charge  was  in 


^^<kfa 


'Py 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  II5 

Salem,  \'irginia,  from  1853  until  1858.  In  1858  he  came 
to  the  Frankfort  Church,  and  was  installed  pastor  in 
July,  and  remained  until  July,  1861,  when  the  happy  and 
very  useful  relation  he  sustained  was  interrupted  by  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  Mr.  Lacy  then  returned 
to  Virginia,  and  shortly  afterward  entered  the  Confed- 
erate army  as  chaplain  at  the  headquarters  of  General 
Stonewall  Jackson's  Corps,  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Lacy  served 
the  church  at  Wytheville,  Virginia,  until  1865,  when  he 
removed  to  St.  Louis,  to  take  pastoral  charge  of  the 
Pine  Street  Church  of  that  city,  which  he  served  four 
years.  In  1871  Dr.  Lacy  accepted  the  position  of  Super- 
intendent of  Missions  for  the  Synod  of  Missouri,  in 
which  work  he  was  eminently  successful  in  building  up 
and  strengthenmg  the  Church  throughout  the  bounds 
of  the  Synod.  In  1874  Dr.  Lacy  took  pastoral  charge 
of  the  church  of  Mexico,  Missouri,  where  he  remained 
about  five  years,  when  on  account  of  impaired  health  he 
was  led  to  resign. 

His  health  not  permitting  regular  pastoral  work,  he 
took  up  his  residence  with  his  son  in  Sedalia,  Missouri, 
from  which  place  he  supplied  with  great  success  a  group 
of  smaller  churches,  building  them  up  into  strong  and 
flourishing  congregations. 

In  1887  Dr.  Lacy,  having  become  a  confirmed 
invalid,  accompanied  his  son,  who  removed  to  Wash- 
ington City,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1900.  Although  confined  to  his  bed  and  chair, 
unable  to  help  himself  in  any  way  for  these  thirteen 
years,  yet  in  this  helpless  condition  he  was  wonderfully 
sustained  and  com.forted  by  the  Master,  whom  he  had 
served  so  long  and  faithfully.     His  mind  and  memory 


Il6  HISTORY    OF    KIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

through  all  these  years  of  bodily  weakness  and  suffer- 
ing remained  as  bright  and  strong  as  in  his  best  days, 
and  it  was  a  great  privilege  to  hear  from  his  lips  his 
experiences  of  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God  in  all 
His  dealings  with  him.  As  indicative  of  his  wonderful 
memory  of  persons  and  events,  the  writer  of  this 
sketch,  in  a  conversation  with  him  a  short  time  before 
his  death,  was  asked  many  questions  concerning  the 
people  of  the  Frankfort  pastorate,  and  although  forty 
years  had  elapsed,  Dr.  Lacy  called  the  names  of  all  the 
members  of  the  families,  including  the  children,  large 
and  small,  of  whose  subsequent  career  he  was  desirous 
to  know^  Many  incidents,  some  of  minor  importance, 
connected  with  the  Frankfort  pastorate  and  Dr.  Lacy's 
life  here,  were  vividly  recalled  by  him,  although  they 
had  long  since  passed  from  the  memory  of  his  auditor. 
For  the  people  of  this  church,  in  which  he  had  enjoyed 
such  a  pleasant  and  useful  pastorate,  he  entertained  to 
the  last  a  lively  interest  and  affectionate  regard. 

REV.   JOHN    SMITH    HAYS,    D.D. 

Rev.  John  Smith  Hays,  D.D.,  the  son  of  John  and 
Orpha  Hays,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, August  Tst,  1830,  four  miles  from  the  town  of 
Canonsburg.  He  was  the  youngest  but  one  of  six 
children  —  William,  Nancy,  Jane  E.,  Isaac  N.,  John  S. 
and  George  P.  The  parents  were  Scotch-Irish,  and 
belonged  to  a  large  family  noted  for  piety  and  Chris- 
tian zeal.  Although  no  minister,  as  far  as  known,  was 
numbered  in  their  ancestry,  every  one  of  these  children 
became  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  either  in  person  or  by 
proxy,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  Dr.  Hays  had  no 
less  than  five  nephews  in  the  ministry  of  our  Church. 


'-Loo/^. 


T 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  II9 

Dr.  Havs  received  his  primary  education  in  the  crude 
common  school  of  that  date.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  the  Freshman  class  of  Jefferson  College,  Can- 
onsburg,  and  graduated  in  1850.  After  a  three  years' 
course  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  Alle- 
gheny, Pennsylvania,  he  was  licensed  in  the  spring  of 
1853.  At  this  time  his  entire  patrimony  consisted  of 
a  young  horse,  which  he  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars, 
with  fifty  of  which  he  procured  his,  ministerial  ward- 
robe, and  with  the  other  fifty  dollars  in  his  pocket  he 
started  out,  not  knowing  whither  he  went.  Stopping 
at  Louisville,  he  called  upon  Rev.  Dr.  AV.  W.  Hill,  in 
charge  of  a  branch  office  of  the  Board  of  Domestic 
Missions,  who  directed  him  to  Charleston,  Indiana, 
where  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  without  a  pastor. 
He  accepted  a  call  to  this  church  on  a  salary  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum,  on  which  he  and 
his  voung  wife,  whom  he  married  the  following  year, 
lived  during  four  successive  years,  having  been  ordained 
and  installed  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Albany  in  the 
fall  of  1853.  While  on  a  visit  to  relatives  in  Nashville 
in  1856,  he  preached  in  the  vacant  pulpit  of  the  Second 
Church  of  that  city,  and  received  a  unanimous  call  to 
the  pastorate,  which  he  accepted,  and  held  until  July, 
1861,  when  on  account  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War  he  returned  North.  During  the  fall  and  winter 
following  he  supplied  the  Central  Church  of  Cincinnati. 
In  April,  1862,  he  came  to  our  Frankfort  Church  in 
response  to  a  unanimous  call,  and  remained  pastor 
until  the  spring  of  1867,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  Walnut  Street  Church,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
adhering  to  our  General  Assembly.  On  the  disruption 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Kentucky  after  the  war, 


I20  [JISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

legal  proceedings  were  instituted  in  different  parts  of 
the  State  involving  church  property  rights.  Of  these 
the  famous  Walnut  Street  Church  case  was  made  the 
test.  The  party  in  that  church  adhering  to  the  old 
General  Assembly  was  at  the  time  without  a  pastor, 
and  at  the  earnest  call  of  these  members  and  the  urgent 
solicitation  of  a  large  number  of  ministers  throughout 
the  State,  Dr.  Hays  left  Frankfort  to  become  their 
pastor  during  the  legal  contest.  This  resulted  in  a 
decision  by  the  highest  court  in  favor  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  it  is  considered  a  precedent  for  all  church 
questions  mvolving  like  issues  in  the  lower  courts. 

In  1875  Dr.  Hays  was  elected  to  the  Chair  of  Bib- 
lical and  Ecclesiastical  History  in  Danville  Theological 
Seminary.  Owing  to  the  loss  of  a  large  part  of  the 
endowment  fund,  the  Seminary  was  temporarily  closed 
in  1883,  and.  Dr.  Hays  removed  to  Ouincy,  IlHnois, 
where  he  remained  as  pastor  about  two  years.  At 
that  time  he  received  a  call  from  the  church  at  Mays- 
ville.  Kentucky,  which  he  accepted,  and  returned  to 
the  State  in  which  such  a  large  portion  of  his  minis- 
terial life  had  been  spent.  On  entering  upon  this,  his 
last  charge,  he  organized,  with  the  co-operation  of  his 
daughters,  "  Hays-Wood  Female  Seminary,"  in  connec- 
tion with  the  pastorate  of  the  church,  both  of  which  he 
conducted  with  great  ability  and  acceptance  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  January  7th,  1899. 

Some  years  before  his  death  Dr.  Hays  received  an 
injury  to  one  of  his  eyes,  resulting  in  loss  of  sight,  which 
was  speedily  followed  by  loss  also  of  the  other  eye.  thus 
leaving  him  in  total  blindness.  Notwithstanding  this 
great  calamit}^,  he  continued  to  teach  and  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  pastor  witli  great  energy  and  cheerfulness, 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  121 

preaching  with  as  much  and  even  more  power  than  ever 
before.  In  answer  to  his  prayers  he  was  wonderfully 
sustained  and  strengthened  by  divine  grace  under  this 
mysterious  providence,  which  would  have  crushed  any 
man  of  less  faith  and  trust. 

Dr.  Hays  received  the  degree  of  D.D.  from  Centre 
College  in  1873.  He  was  a  very  earnest  and  most 
instructive  preacher.  While  very  positive  in  his  con- 
victions and  fearless  in  their  expression,  he  had  a  bright, 
kindly,  cheerful  spirit,  which  made  him  many  friends 
wherever  he  went,  and  rendered  him  a  most  welcome 
visitor  and  desirable  companion.  While  in  Frankfort 
he  usually  devoted  Mondays,  when  the  weather  was 
suitable,  to  recreation,  with  fishing  rod  or  gun,  accord- 
ing to  the  season.  He  found  in  this  relaxation  and 
exercise,  which  he  enjoyed  with  keen  relish,  the  great- 
est benefit  physically  and  mentally,  and  in  after  years 
often  referred  to  the  period  as  one  of  the  happiest  of 
his  life.  He  was  usually  accompanied  by  one  and  some- 
times two  of  his  elders,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion 
could  have  held  a  meeting  of  session  on  the  banks  of 
the  river,  as  there  was  more  than  a  quorum  present. 

Dr.  Hays  was  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Frances 
Dickey,  who  was  the  mother  of  his  children,  five  of 
whom  survived  him,  Mrs.  J.  Foster  Barbour,  Mrs. 
W.  B.  Matthews  and  Misses  Florence,  Fannie  and 
Carrie  Hays.  His  only  son,  a  young  man  of  great 
promise,  died  in  1879,  J^st  after  completing  his  theo- 
logical course.  Dr.  Hays'  second  wife  was  Miss  Caro- 
line Ritchie,  who  survived  him  about  one  year. 

In  a  short  poem  Dr.  Hays  gave  expression  in  a 
most  beautiful  and  touching  way  to  the  experiences 
of  his  heart  in  the  great  affliction  he  was  called  upon 


122  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

to  endure.  As  comparatively  few  of  his  many  friends 
have  seen  this  httle  poem,  its  insertion  here  will  be 
appreciated : 

A   SOLILOQUY. 

The  writer  of  the  following  stanzas  has  been  so  frequently 
questioned  concernine  the  thoughts,  feelings,  sorrows  and  joys 
of  the  blind,  that  he  has  been  tempted  to  attempt  an  expression 
of  some  of  his  own  in  verse.  J.  S.  Hays. 

June  iq,  1891. 

Enveloped  in  darkness,  imprisoned  in  night; 
Shut  in  from  the  sunshine,  secluded  from  light; 
For  years  I  have  beat  on  the  bars  of  the  cell 
Where  blindness,  alas!  has  compelled  me  to  dwell. 

They  tell   me  the  vale  in  its  beauty  still  lies 
Where  once  it  incessantly  feasted  my  eyes; 
They  tell  me  the  shadows  and  sunlight  still  glide 
O'er  the  plain  at  my  feet  and  along  the  hillside. 

They  tell  me  the  stars  in  their  glory  still  shine, 
That  on  the  horizon  the  clouds  still  recline; 
They  tell  me  the  flowers  in  bea.uty  still  bloom. 
Exhaling  their  fragrance  from  midnight  to  noon. 

But  eyes  now  in  ruin  refuse  me  their  aid; 
I'm  left  to  believe  what  others  have  said. 
I  longingly  look,  but  'tis  only  to  find 
j\Iy  vision  has  left  me,  and  now  I  am  blind. 

But  hush  these  complainings  so  bitter,  so  wild, 
So  little  becoming  a  creature — a  child: 
How  dare  I  to  question  the  justice,  the  love 
Of  God  mj'  Creator  and  Father  above! 

No;  thanks  to  his  goodness  for  giving  me  sight, 
'Twas  his  by  creation  and  his.  too.  by  right; 
He  gave  it,  he  took  it,  and  blest  be  liis  name 
For  giving  so  long,  and  the  gifts  that  remain. 

'I'he  hand  of  affection  I  grasp  in  the  street. 
The  voice  of  love  I  continually  meet; 
Sweet  childhood  and  youth  swiftly  fly  to  my  aid 
And  lovingly  beg  me  to  be  not  afraid. 


/^^T^-'Jfri^i^'f^      ^yv^^ity 


y^z-cc^^z^ 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  I25 

The  music  of  Nature  I  also  can  hear. 
The  notes  of  her  songsters  so  sweet  and  so  clear; 
The  roar  of  her  thunder,  the  voice  of  her  breeze 
As  it  swiftly  or  slowly  creeps  through  her  trees. 

And  memory,  too,  like  an  angel  of  light, 
Attends  me  by  day  and  awaits  me  by  night, 
To  profit  my  mind  and  my  fancy  to  please 
With  all  it  has  gathered  in  childhood  and  years. 

Ah!  yes;  and  from  under  the  darkness  about 
By  faith  I  can  calmly,  serenely  look  out; 
And  ''just  over  there"  in  its  glory  casi  see 
The  light  of  eternity  waiting  for  me. 

Then,  thanks  to  God's  goodness  for  giving  me  sight, 
'Twas  his  by  creation  and  his,  too,  by  right; 
He  gave  it,  he  took  it,  and  blest  be  his  name 
For  giving  so  long,  and  the  gifts  that  remain. 

REV.    LEROY  J.    HALSEY,    D.D.,  LL.D. 

Rev.  Leroy  J.  Halsey,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  who  supplied 
this  church  during  a  part  of  the  year  1870,  was  born 
near  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1812.  He  was  reared  in 
the  State  of  Alabama,  whither  his  parents  removed 
when  he  was  five  years  of  age.  In  1834  he  graduated 
from  the  L^niversity  of  Nashville  after  a  four  years' 
course,  and  taught  for  some  years  afterward  in  that 
institution.  After  three  years'  study  at  Princeton  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  he  graduated  in  1840,  and  was  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  soon  after  which 
he  was  commissioned  by  the  Board  of  Missions  to  labor 
in  Alabama.  After  two  years  he  took  charge  of  the 
recently  organized  First  Church  of  Jackson,  Mississippi, 
where  he  was  ordained  and  installed  in  March,  1843. 
In  1846  Mr.  Halsey  received  a  cordial  invitation  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  Frankfort  Church,  but  the  status  of 
afifairs  in  the  Jackson  Church,  and  the  critical  nature  of 


126  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

his  work  there  at  that  time,  constrained  him  to  remain 
with  it  for  a  while  longer,  and  decline  any  call  to  labor 
elsewhere.  In  1848  he  came  to  Louisville  to  take  charge 
of  the  Chestnut  Street  Church,  which  had  been  organ- 
ized by  a  colony  from  the  Second  Church,  and  which  is 
now  known  as  the  Warren  Memorial. 

In  1859  Dr.  Halsey  was  by  the  General  Assembly 
appointed  to  the  Chair  of  Ecclesiology,  Sacred  Rhetoric 
and  Pastoral  Theology  in  the  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Northwest,  just  established  in  Chicago.  While 
laboring  in  the  Louisville  pastorate  he  published  his 
first  book,  "  The  Literary  Attractions  of  the  Bible ;  or, 
A  Plea  for  the  Word  of  God,  Considered  as  a  Classic." 
This  admirable  work  was  a  wellspring  of  delight  and 
spiritual  profit  to-  his  congregation  and  the  Church  at 
large,  and  is  to  this  day  one  of  the  brightest  gems  of  the 
religious  literature  of  the  Church. 

For  thirty-three  years  Dr.  Halsey  labored  to  build  up 
and  develop,  through  many  difficulties  and  discourage- 
ments, the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest,  and 
in  this,  the  great  work  of  his  life,  his  efforts  were 
crowned  with  abundant  success.  He  also  did  a  great 
work  in  developing  Presbyterianism  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago and  all  that  adjacent  territory,  for  at  the  time  of 
his  advent  the  city  contained  only  about  one  hundred 
thousand  population,  and  society  and  Christian  efifort 
were  hardly  as  yet  in  the  formative  state.  There  was 
only  one  church  of  our  faith  and  order  on  the  North 
Side,  but  with  Dr.  Halsey's  aid  others  speedily  fol- 
lowed, and  in  1864  the  Seminary  took  up  its  abode  at 
its  present  site.  Dr.  Halsey  terminated  his  active 
labors  in  the  Seminary  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty, 
and  died  June  i8th,  1896. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  I  29 

In  1869  Dr.  Halsey  for  the  second  time  received  a 
call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Frankfort  Church.  Pending 
the  consideration  of  the  call,  he  visited  and  supplied  the 
congregation  during  the  summer  of  1870,  and  while 
ministering  here  he  greatly  endeared  himself  to  our 
people.  Dr.  Halsey  had  a  charming  personality,  was  a 
most  eloquent  and  instructive  preacher,  standing  in  the 
front  rank  of  the  ministry  of  our  Church.  He  greatly 
excelled  in  the  exposition  of  the  ScriptUires,  and  his  mid- 
week lectures  upon  the  Psalms  of  David,  which  at  the 
time  drew  many  hearers,  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
those  of  us  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  hearing  them. 
Dr.  Halsey,  as  an  author,  took  a  high  place  among  the 
writers  of  our  Church.  During  his  latter  years  he  pub- 
lished a  nimiber  of  works  of  the  highest  order  of  merit 
and  acceptance  to  Christians  of  all  denominations. 

In  1844  Dr.  Halsey  was  married  to  Miss  CaroHne  A. 
Anderson,  of  South  Carolina,  a  granddaughter  of  Gen- 
eral Robert  Anderson,  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Revo- 
lution. She  is  yet  living,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years,  with  her  children  in  Chicago,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
a  good  degree  of  health,  and  able  to  attend  upon  the 
stated  services  of  her  church. 

REV.  JOHN   H.    NESBITT. 

Rev.  John  H.  Nesbitt  was  born  August  20th,  1834, 
in  Indiana  County,  Pennsylvania.  He  received  his  pri- 
mary' education  in  Saltsburg  Academy,  of  the  same 
county,  and  graduated  from  JefTerson  College.  Can- 
onsburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  class  of  1858.  His 
theological  training  was  received  at  McCormick  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1861. 
He  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Chicago  in  April, 


130  HISTORY   OF   FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

1861,  and  labored  as  evangelist  and  home  missionary 
until  January,  1864,  when  he  became  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Macomb,  Illinois,  remaining  there  about  six 
years.  In  November,  1869,  he  was  called  to  the  Frank- 
fort Church,  and  ministered  with  great  acceptance  to 
this  congregation  until  June,  1876,  when  on  account  of 
the  precarious  state  of  the  health  of  his  only  child,  a 
very  bright  and  attractive  boy  of  ten  years  of  age,  he 
was  led  to  resign  the  pastorate  in  order  to  seek  a  change 
of  climate.  After  a  few  years'  residence  in  the  moun- 
tain regions  of  Pennsylvania,  during  which  time  he  min- 
istered to  the  Mingo  Church,  Presbytery  of  Pittsburg, 
his  son's  health  seemed  to  be  entirely  restored,  and 
Mr.  Nesbitt,  in  October,  1881,  accepted  a  call  to  the 
church  at  Owensboro,  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  as 
pastor  until  April,  1886.  His  next  field  of  labor  was 
Oxford,  Ohio,  from  April,  1886,  to  1892,  and  he  then 
returned  to  Illinois,  and  served  as  stated  supply  to  the 
church  at  Prairie  City  from  January,  1893,  to  April, 
1896.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  incapacitated  for 
the  active  duties  of  a  pastor  by  reason  of  ill  health,  but 
as  opportunity  offered  and  his  health  permitted  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  at  Rockford, 
Illinois. 

Mr.  Nesbitt  was  married  in  May,  1864,  to  Miss 
Agnes  R.  Ross,  of  Rockford.  Mrs.  Nesbitt  is  very 
pleasantly  remembered  by  all  our  older  members  for 
her  many  graces  of  mind  and  heart,  and  during  her 
residence   iiere  was  universally  esteemed  and  beloved. 

In  the  dealings  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  at  times  so 
mysterious,  with  his  children,  they  are  sometimes  called 
upon  to  pass  through  the  severest  afifliction.  v'^uch  was 
the  case  of  these  faithful  servants  in  the  death  of  their 


($^f^:^^AjL 


^ 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT,  1 33 

only  son,  George  Arthur  Nesbitt,  who  had  attained  man- 
hood, completed  his  theological  course  and  entered  the 
ministry  from  McCormick  Seminary  in  the  class  of  1892. 
He  was  at  once  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Church,  Appleton,  Wisconsin,  but  died  in  Chicago  in 
October  of  the  same  year.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
great  promise  for  usefulness  in  the  Church,  which  always 
is  in  need  of  such  well-equipped  and  consecrated  young 
men.  His  death,  which  to  our  finite  .vision  appeared  so 
untimely,  was  a  crushing  blow  to  his  devoted  parents 
and  a  personal  l^ereavement  to  a  wide  circle  of  friends 
and  associates. 

REV.   JOHN   W.    PUGH.    D.D. 

Rev.  John  W.  Pugh,  D.D.,  was  born  in  Hardy 
County,  West  A'irginia.  He  was  educated  for  the  pro- 
fession of  law,  and  obtained  license  therefor  while  yet 
under  age.  He  entered  into  partnership  with  Judge 
Seymour,  of  H?rdy  County,  with  whom  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  for  two  years.  Feeling  constrained,  how- 
ever, to  enter  the  gospel  ministry,  he  relinquished  the 
very  promising  partnership  of  the  law,  and  entered 
Union  Theological  vSeminary,  A'irginia,  in  which  he 
took  a  full  course.  Upon  graduation  he  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in  Warrenton,  Virginia, 
where  he  was  ordained  and  installed  in  October,  1859. 
He  continued  as  pastor  here  until  December,  1869,  when 
he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Second  Church  of  Owensboro, 
Kentuck}'.  In  April.  1877,  he  came  to  the  Frankfort 
Church,  and  was  installed  pastor  May  29th  following. 
In  December,  1882,  he  resigned,  and  was  pastor  in  suc- 
cession of  the  churches  at  Hopewell,  Indiana,  and  Philo, 
Illinois.     In  January,  1899,  '""^  became  the  pastor  of  the 


134  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

church  at  Fountain  Green,  lUinois,  where  he  now  labors 
in  a  successful  work  of  steady  development. 

During  his  pastorate  in  Frankfort  Dr.  Pugh  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of  a  beloved  wife  and 
the  mother  of  his  children.  She  was  a  lady  of  most 
estimable  traits  of  character,  a  loving  and  devoted  wife 
and  mother,  and  a  happy  and  consistent  Christian.  She 
died  February  20th,  1880,  in  the  triumphs  of  the  Chris- 
tian's faith.  Mr.  Pugh's  present  wife  was  Miss  Harriet 
D.  Todd,  of  Frankfort,  the  daughter  of  the  late  Captain 
Harry  I.  Todd. 

REV.   J.   McCLUSKY   BLAYNEY,   D.D. 

Rev.  J.  McClusky  Blayney,  D.D.,  now  pastor  of 
this  church  since  1884,  was  born  February  21st,  1841, 
in  Ohio  County,  West  Virginia.  His  father,  Charles 
Blayney,  was  one  of  four  brothers  who  came  to  Vir- 
ginia from  Ireland  about  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  J.  McClusky  received  his  academical  train- 
ing at  West  Alexander,  Pennsylvania,  and  graduated 
at  Washington  College  in  the  class  of  i860.  His  theo- 
logical training  was  received  at  Western  Theological 
Seminary,  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1863.  In  his  second  year  at  the  Seminary  he 
was  selected  by  the  Faculty,  with  one  of  his  classmates, 
to  go  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  conduct  religious 
services  under  the  auspices  of  the  Christian  Commis- 
sion, which  was  his  first  experience  in  religious  work, 
preaching  in  the  camps,  on  transports  and  in  the  hos- 
pitals. Pie  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Wash- 
ington in  the  spring  of  1862.  and  preached  about  a 
year  as  stated  supply  to  the  church  at  Ontario,  Ohio, 
from  which  work   he   was   recalled   by   his   Presbytery 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 37 

and  sent  to  Charleston,  West  Virginia,  to  take  charge 
of  the  church  there.  This  was  just  after  the  opening 
of  the  Civil  War,  and  this  church  was  much  disorgan- 
ized and  scattered.  The  congregation  at  first  consisted 
largely  of  Union  soldiers,  who  at  that  time  occupied  the 
city.  The  church  under  his  ministrations  soon  became 
harmonious  and  united,  and  continued  thereafter  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  The  Charleston  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute was  organized  by  Mr.  Blayney,  opening  the  first 
year  with  one  hundred  and  eighty  pupils,  and  he  acted 
as  Principal  one  year,  owing  to  the  inability  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  to  procure  elsewhere  a  suitable  man  for  the 
position.  Owing  to  the  agitation  of  the  question  of  the 
ecclesiastical  relations  of  the  Charleston  Church.  Xorth 
or  South,  he  concluded  to  leave  the  place,  which  deter- 
mination he  carried  into  efifect,  although  a  strong 
remonstrance  against  this  course  was  presented  him, 
signed  by  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  city  of 
all  denominations.  When  leaving  Charleston  with  no 
other  definite  place  in  view,  not  knowing  where  Provi- 
dence would  lead,  he  met  on  the  gangway  of  the 
steamer,  coming  ashore,  a  gentleman  from  Frankfort, 
Kentucky.  This  man,  whom  he  had  previously  known, 
opened  up  the  way  and  directed  his  steps  to  Frankfort, 
thus  under  the  guidance  of  Providence  bringing  him  to 
this  field  of  labor.  He  served  the  Frankfort  Church  as 
stated  supply  for  about  two  years,  1867  and  1868.  and 
upon  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  Kentucky  he  was 
invited  to  preside  as  moderator  of  a  congregational 
meeting,  called  by  the  session  to  elect  another  minister 
as  his  successor.  Contrary  to  the  expectation  of  the 
session,  a  large  majority  of  the  votes  were  cast  for  the 
moderator  of  the  meeting,  who  declining  to  allow  his 


138  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

name  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the  pastorate,  the 
meeting  adjourned  without  an  election. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  Mr.  Blayney  went  to  Albany, 
New  York,  having  been  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city.  While  pastor 
there  he  received  the  degree  of  D.D,  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  New  York.  Dr.  Blayney  resigned  the  pastorate 
in  Albany  in  1880,  owing  to  the  ill  health  of  his  family, 
they  not  being  able  to  withstand  the  rigors  of  that 
northern  climate.  He  then  went  abroad  with  his  fam- 
ily, where  they  remained  nearly  two  years  traveling  in 
Europe.  .  In  1870  Dr.  Blayney  had  been  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lucy  W.  Lindsey,  of  Frankfort.  She  died 
while  abroad,  at  Mentone,  France,  leaving  two  sons, 
T.  Lindsey  Blayney  and  J.  McClusky  Blayney,  Jr. 
After  returning  to  America  Dr.  Blayney  was  again 
providentially  directed  to  Frankfort.  He  was  on  the 
way  with  his  children  to  spend  the  winter  in  the  far 
South,  when  he  came  by  Frankfort  for  a  short  visit 
to  his  wife's  relatives.  He  found  the  church,  which  he 
supposed  was  supplied  with  a  pastor,  had  been  vacant 
for  a  year,  and  was  greatly  in  need  of  the  ministrations 
and  care  of  a  pastor.  He  yielded  to  the  invitation  of 
the  session  to  stay  and  preach  for  a  time  to  the  con- 
gregation, beginning  his  ministrations  in  January,  1884. 
In  February  he  was  called  b}-  unanimous  vote  to  the 
pastorate,  and,  accepting  the  call,  was  installed  in  the 
following  June.  He  now  enters  upon  his  eighteenth 
year  of  his  ministrations  to  this  congregation. 


W.    H.    AVERILL, 
Ruling  Elder  and   Clerk  of  Session. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  I4I 

THE    SESSION. 

If  the  injunction  of  the  apostle,  "  Let  the  elders  that 
rule  well  be  counted  worthy  of  double  honor,"  be  fol- 
lowed by  us  at  the  present  time,  there  would  be  included 
in  honorable  mention  the  greater  part  of  the  eldership 
of  the  early  years  of  this  church,  and  not  a  few  of  those 
who  served  it  later  on  and  have  also  gone  to  their 
reward.  In  those  days  the  duties  of  the  ruling  elder, 
if  faithfully  performed,  were  very  exacting,  calling  for 
the  exercise  of  great  wisdom,  discretion  and  patience 
in  dealing  with  the  flock.  That  was  a  time  of  strict 
rule  and  oversight.  Many  cases  of  discipline  occurred, 
involving  judicial  trials,  terminating  in  either  censure 
or  suspension,  and  sometimes  in  expulsion  from  the 
church.  A  large  portion  of  the  records  are  taken  up 
with  these  proceedings.  The  effect  upon  the  church, 
and  with  few  exceptions  upon  the  offenders  themselves, 
appears  to  have  been  salutary.  Among  the  more  fre- 
quent causes  of  ofTense  were  the  habitual  absence  from 
the  services  of  the  church ;  trials  were  also  had  for  Sab- 
bath-breaking, for  dancing,  for  attendance  upon  the 
race  course,  upon  the  theater  or  "  play-house,"  and  for 
the  intemperate  use  of  "  ardent  spirits."  Nor  was  the 
supervision  of  our  session  restricted  to  the  members  of 
this  particular  church,  for  it  considered  it  to  be  its  duty 
to  exercise  watch  and  care  over  Presbyterians  belong- 
ing to  churches  elsewhere,  and  who  might  be  tempo- 
rarilv  sojourning  within  our  bounds.  In  at  least  two 
notable  instances  action  was  taken  in  the  cases  of  Legis- 
lators, "  who,  in  defiance  of  public  opinion  and  the  force 
of  their  example,  attended  plays  at  the  public  theater." 


142  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Their  home  clnircli  sessions  at  Greensburg  and  Paris 
were  officially  notitied,  with  lists  of  witnesses  to  sub- 
stantiate the  charges.  The  records  subsequently  show 
that  the  Paris  and  Greensburg  churches  took  up  the 
cases  and  had  the  testimony  forwarded  from  Frankfort, 
bur  the  outcome  of  the  proceedings  is  not  known,  nor 
the  effect  upon  the  offending  Legislators.  For  many 
years  the  names  of  the  deacons  appear  as  being  pres- 
ent and  taking  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  session, 
although  they  were  not  entitled  to  vote,  except  in  a  few 
cases,  where  the  record  reads :  "  Resolved,  by  unani- 
mous vote,  the  deacons  concurring."  The  respective 
duties  of  the  two  branches  of  the  church  government 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  clearly  defined  and  under- 
stood at  that  period.  The  state  of  the  case  may  doubt- 
less be  accounted  for  in  the  fact  that  among  the  early 
deacons  there  were  some  men  of  zeal  and  ability  who 
had  tiie  interests  of  the  church,  spiritual  as  well  as  tem- 
poral, as  much  at  heart  as  did  the  elders,  and,  in  fact, 
the  greater  part  of  these  deacons  subsequently  became 
ruling  elders. 

The  records  of  the  session  and  the  unwritten  testi- 
mony of  the  congregation  indicate  that,  taking  them 
all  in  all,  this  church  was  blessed  in  having  a  line  of 
wise,  diligent  and  devoted  men  in  the  management  of 
its  spiritual  affairs.  While  all  were  men  of  exemplary 
piety,  some  excelled  in  intelligence,  zeal  and  faithfulness. 

Judge  Benjamin  Mills,  of  the  Appellate  Court,  an 
eminent  jurist  of  that  day,  was  a  member  of  this  session 
from  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Frankfort  from  Paris 
until  his  death.     He  took  an  active  and  leading  part  in 


E.   L.   SAMUEL, 
Ruling  Elder. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  I45 

church  affairs,  usually  acting  as  moderator  of  the  ses- 
sion in  the  absence  of  the  minister,  and  presiding  over 
the  congregational  meetings. 

Dr.  James  J.  Miles,  one  of  the  first  session  of  this 
church,  after  aiding  in  its  formation  and  serving  it  about 
twelve  years,  rem.oved  to  Louisville  in  1830,  and  in  the 
house  of  M.  D.  Averill,  son-in-law  of  Thomas  Paxton, 
of  this  session,  aided  as  ruling  elder  in  the  organization 
of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city  —  that 
notable  body,  which,  with  its  colonies  and  missions,  has 
done  a  great  work  for  Presbyterianism  in  Louisville. 
After  serving  that  little  congregation,  as  one  of  its  first 
session,  for  a  brief  period.  Dr.  Miles  removed  to  Paris, 
Kentucky,  where  he  resided  until  1836,  when  he  was 
again  received  in  the  Frankfort  Church.  In  the  year 
1841  he  went  West,  and  the  record  states  that  he  was 
given  a  letter  of  recommendation  to  any  church  within 
the  bounds  of  which  his  lot  may  be  cast. 

Dr.  Luke  Munsell,  one  of  the  early  ruling  elders, 
was  a  self-made  man  of  the  most  pronounced  type.  He 
was  born  in  Connecticut  in  1790;  removed  to  Kentucky 
and  settled  at  Frankfort,  where  in  1822  he  married 
Eliza  Sneed,  daughter  of  Achilles  Sneed.  Although 
Dr.  Munsell  never  attended  or  graduated  from  any 
school  of  learning,  he  was  a  great  student  and  inde- 
fatigable worker.  He  accumulated  a  large  library  of 
the  best  books  that  could  be  procured,  literary,  medi- 
cal, theological,  mathematical  and  scientific.  He  was  a 
good  Latin,  Greek  and  Hebrew  scholar,  and  in  his  pri- 
vate religious  devotions  habitually  used  his  Greek  Tes- 
tament. He  was  a  skilled  physician  and  a  contributor 
to  the  medical  journals  of  the  dav,  and  was  among  the 


146  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 

first  to  use  galvanism  in  the  treatment  of  disease, 
making  the  model  for  a  battery  which  he  used  in  his 
practice.  He  removed  to  Danville  in  1833,  where  he 
became  for  a  time  the  Superintendent  of  the  State  Insti- 
tution for  the  Deaf  and  Dimib.  He  was  later  appointed 
to  the  Chair  of  Natural  Philosophy  in  Centre  College. 
He  was  exceedingly  fond  of  civil  engineering,  and 
imported  for  his  own  use  the  best  English  instruments 
and  appliances,  and  had  made  to  order  special  instru- 
ments which  he  had  devised.  He  made  and  published 
the  first  large  map  of  the  State  of  Kentucky,  which  was 
considered  a  great  achievement  at  the  time,  and  brought 
him  intc)  wide  notice  as  a  civil  engineer.  From  Danville 
he  removed  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where  he  engaged 
in  his  favorite  profession  as  civil  engineer.  While  a 
resident  there  he  served  as  ruling  elder  in  the  church 
of  which  Henry  Ward  Beecher  was  pastor.  He  ulti- 
mately removed  to  Jefifersonville,  where  he  died  in  1854. 

Hon.  John  Brown  was  elected  ruling  elder  in  1829, 
but  in  a  letter  to  the  session  declined  to  serve.  In  this 
letter  we  read  that  the  only  motive  impelling  him  to 
decline  was  a  feeling  of  unworthiness  and  unfitness  for 
the  sacred  office.  Subsequently  he  accepted,  and  was 
ordained  and  installed,  and  served  with  ability  and 
acceptance  until  his  death  in  August,  1837.  Hon.  John 
Brown  was  a  man  of  prominence  and  large  influence 
in  State  and  national  affairs.  He  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  Thomas  JefTerson,  who  always  kept  up  his 
interest  in  and  friendship  for  his  pupil.  He  removed 
to  Kentucky  in  1782,  and  was  its  first  member  of  Con- 
gress,  while   yet   a   district   and   part    of  Virginia,   and 


R.   K.   McCLURE, 
Ruling  Elder. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  149 

when  admitted  to  Statehood  was  its  first  United  States 
Senator  in  1792. 

The  following  tribute  from  Rev.  J.  J.  Bullock,  his 
pastor,  will  be  read  with  interest :  "  He  was  a  man 
of  the  highest  order  of  mind  and  character,  and  was  a 
connecting  link  between  the  statesmen  of  the  days  of 
Washington  and  Jefferson  and  those  of  modern  date, 
unquestionably  one  of  the  greatest  men  Kentucky  has 
given  to  the  country.  He  was  the  immediate  product 
of  the  Revolution,  and  all  his  powers  and  energies  were 
called  forth  in  guiding  the  affairs  of  the  State  and  the 
nation  in  the  formative  period  of  our  country's  history." 
Mr.  Brown  had  at  this  time  retired  from  public  life. 
From  a  leader  in  the  affairs  of  the  State  and  nation  he 
became  in  his  latter  days  an  humble  and  useful  elder 
in  the  church.  He  left  to  us  of  to-day,  who  honor  his 
memory,  a  beautiful  and  useful  memento  of  his  love  for 
the  church  in  the  communion  service,  which  is  still  being 
used  by  the  congregation  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Joseph  Clarke,  for  length  of  service  in  the  elder- 
ship, exceeded  all  his  brethren.  He  was  first  a  deacon, 
and  was  in  1834  ordained  elder,  and  served  continuously 
forty-one  years. 

Mr.  Richard  Knott  was  another  elder  who  is  worthy 
of  special  mention  and  commendation.  First  as  deacon, 
then  as  elder  and  devoted  Sabbath-school  teacher,  he 
served  the  church  with  ability  and  zeal  for  thirteen 
years,  after  wliich  time  he  removed  to  Louisville, 
where  for  many  years  he  continued  in  the  same  office, 
a  blessing  to  his  day  and  generation. 

Judge  Ben  Monroe,  another  eminent  lawyer  and 
learned  judgC;   served  in  our  session  for   many  years. 


150  HISTORY    O^   FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

with  great  faithfulness  and  acceptance  to  the  church. 
His  high  qtiahfications  and  wisdom  made  him  a  promi- 
nent actor  in  the  councils  of  the  church. 

William  M.  Todd,  who  entered  the  session  while  yet 
a  young  man,  grew  up  with  the  church,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  active,  zealous  and  useful  men  who  have  ever 
served  it.  For  many  years  he  was  the  acknowledged 
leader  in  all  its  affairs,  spiritual  and  temporal.  Todd's 
Bookstore  was  Presbyterian  headquarters  during  the 
pastorates  of  Dr.  J.  J.  Bullock  and  Dr.  Stuart  Robin- 
son, and  it  was  also  a  place  where  the  leading  men 
of  the  town  did  most  congregate.  Although  actively 
engaged  in  conducting  this  mercantile  establishment, 
Mr.  Todd  was  at  the  same  time  treasurer  of  the  church, 
collecting  and  disbursing  its  funds,  superintendent  of 
the  Sabbath-school,  leader  of  the  choir  and  clerk  of  the 
session.  All  these  duties  he  performed  faithfully  and 
well,  to  the  entire  acceptance  of  the  congregation,  and 
by  his  godly  and  consistent  life  left  a  lasting  impress 
upon  our  church  and  community. 

Mr.  John  B.  Temple  was  also  among  the  most  emi- 
nently useful  ruling  elders  of  this  church.  He  united 
with  our  church  upon  profession  of  faith  in  September, 
1851,  and  in  the  following  August  was  made  a  ruling 
elder.  This  unusual  and  speedy  action  by  the  con- 
gregation is  an  evidence  of  the  high  esteem  in  which 
Mr.  Temple  was  held,  and  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him  by  the  church.  Being  a  man  of  education  and  high 
attainments,  and  at  the  same  time  zealous  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  church,  he  at  once  became  the  leader  in  the 
congregation.  Although  a  man  of  afifairs,  occupying  a 
high  and  responsible  position  in  the  State  government 


FRANK  CHINN, 
Ruling  Elder. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 53 

during  the  critical  period  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  also  actively  engaged  as  the  head  of  one  of 
our  principal  banks,  in  financial  operations,  he  gave  his 
best  and  loving  service  to  the  church,  and  its  unity, 
purity  and  welfare  were  the  constant  objects  of  his  solic- 
itude. He  was  superintendent  of  the  h'abbath-school, 
clerk  of  the  session,  and  had  charge  of  the  choir  and 
the  music  of  the  congregation.  In  1870  Mr.  Temple 
removed  to  the  city  of  Louisville,  thus  making  another 
very  valuable  accession  to  the  "  Frankfort  colony  "  and 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city,  sent  them  by  the 
Frankfort  Church,  which  has  always  been  a  faithful 
colonizer.  Mr.  Temple's  services  in  this  congregation 
have  always  been  gratefully  remembered.  Upon  the 
occasion  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1886,  special 
action  for  record  in  the  minutes  was  taken  by  the 
session,  which  resolved  to  attend  the  funeral  in  a  body. 

Mr.  Hugh  Allen  deserves  mention  in  this  place  as 
one  of  the  godly  and  faithful  elders  of  our  church.  He 
came  to  us  in  1856  from  Pisgah  Church,  and  was  one  of 
the  large  family  of  the  name  who  served  that  old,  his- 
toric congregation  for  many  years.  Owing  to  his  mod- 
esty and  unassuming  character,  Mr.  Allen  was  not  as 
generally  known  and  appreciated  as  his  worth  and  serv- 
ices entitled  him.  He  represented  this  church  at  the 
Presbytery  which,  in  1866,  divided,  the  majority  join- 
ing the  Southern  Church.  Mr.  Allen  was  one  of  three 
elders  who,  with  four  ministers,  adhered  to  our  General 
Assembly,  and  recognizing  its  authority,  at  once  organ- 
ized the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington,  in  connection 
with  the  General  Assem.bly  North.  Had  he  done  other- 
wise and  acted  with  the  majority  of  the  dividing  Pres- 


154  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

bytery,  our  church  here  would  hardly  have  been  spared 
the  division  which  occurred  in  so  many  of  the  churches 
of  the  State. 

For  length  of  continuous  service  as  officer  of  our 
church,  first  as  deacon,  then  as  elder,  Mr.  G.  A.  Robert- 
son exceeded  all  his  brethren,  covering  the  period  from 
1828  to  1893,  about  sixty-five  years.  During  this  long 
period  of  active  service,  beginning  almost  at  the  organi- 
zation of  the  church,  he  was  permitted  to  be  an  honored 
instrument  in  building  up  and  strengthening  this  church. 
A  high  tribute  was  paid  to  his  worth  and  long  service, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  by  the  session,  who  in  special 
action  bore  loving  testimony  to  his  faithfulness,  exem- 
plary piety  and  goodness  of  heart,  which,  with  his  cheer- 
ful and  sunny  disposition,  had  endeared  him  to  the  con- 
gregation and  community.  The  Court  of  Appeals,  in 
which  he  had  been  for  many  years  an  honored  officer, 
took  special  action  on  his  death,  and  adjourned  to  attend 
his  funeral  in  a  body  as  honorary  pall-bearers. 

The  session  as  constituted  to-day  has  certainly,  in 
the  example  of  those  who  have  preceded  it,  much  to 
encourage  and  stimulate  it  in  the  work  of  the  Master 
for  the  Master's  sake.  In  so  far*  as  they  were  enabled 
to  follow  Him,  let  us  follow  their  example  in  good 
works,  remembering  that  those  who  bear  the  vessels 
of  the  Lord  must  be  men  of  clean  hands,  of  good  report, 
and  consistent  in  life  and  conversation,  for  the  useful- 
ness of  the  ruling  elder  often  depends  more  on  his 
character  than  on  his  sfifts  and  knowledge. 


WILLIAM    T.    READING, 
Ruling  Elder. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  157 

CHURCH    MUSIC. 

In  the  service  of  song,  this  church  in  its  earher  years 
of  course  had  to  adopt  the  prevaihng-  methods  of  the 
time,  and  use  a  clerk  or  precentor.  This  was  a  neces- 
sity on  account  of  the  great  scarcity  of  hymn  books, 
many  churches,  more  especially  those  in  the  country, 
having  only  the  copy  used  by  the  minister,  who,  after 
announcing  the  hymn  or  psalm  and  reading  it  through, 
would  hand  down  the  book  to  the  clerk,  who  for  con- 
venience sat  in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  facing  the  con- 
gregation. That  important  officer  would  then  arise, 
announce  the  meter,  read  the  first  two  hues,  and  raise 
the  tune,  and  thus  proceed,  alternately  reading  and 
singing  until  the  psalm  or  hymn,  however  long,  was 
finished.  The  position  was  one  by  no  means  easy  to 
fill,  for  although  the  tunes  were  simple  in  melody  and 
comparatively  few  in  number,  it  involved  long  prac- 
tice, a  good  ear  and  great  self-possession  to  become  an 
acceptable  precentor.  If  a  mistake  occurred,  which  was 
sometimes  the  case,  either  in  the  pitch  of  the  tune  or  in 
the  meter,  the  accomplishments  of  the  leader  were  put 
to  a  severe  test,  as  he  was  for  the  time  being  responsible 
for  this  part  of  the  service.  This  system  of  leading  the 
service  of  song,  however,  did  not  remain  long  in  this 
particular  congregation,  for  soon  after  entering  their 
first  church  building  books  were  procured  for  the  special 
singers,  and  seats  set  apart  for  their  use  in  front  next 
to  the  bench  of  the  elders.  Thenceforward  the  singing 
of  the  congregation  was  led  by  the  choir,  the  precentor 
and  the  lining  out  of  the  hymns  being  dispensed  with. 
That  was  the  era  of  singing  schools  and  singing  mas- 
ters, and  the  instruction  of  the  singers  was  a  matter  of 


158  HISTORY    OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRAiNKFORT. 

importance  and  solicitude  in  the  congregation,  as  will 
appear  in  the  items  of  expenses,  one  of  which  is  a  bill 
paid  to  R.  McNutt,  amounting  to  lifty-five  dollars,  for 
teaching  vocal  music  in  the  church.  *  William  M.  Todd 
was  the  first  leader  of  the  choir,  and  so  continued  many 
years.  Miss  Fanny  Phillips,  a  local  singer  of  note,  and 
a  member  of  the  church,  was  the  principal  female  voice. 
After  the  remodeling  of  the  church  in  1829,  the  choir 
moved  to  the  gallery  at  the  rear  of  the  room,  where  it 
thenceforth  continued.  About  1838  it  was  proposed  by 
some  of  the  more  progressive  members  to  introduce 
musical  instruments  to  aid  in  this  part  of  the  service, 
there  being  at  the  time  a  fine  band  and  musical  organi- 
zation maintained  in  the  town.  On  account,  however, 
of  the  strenuous  opposition  of  some  of  the  older  and 
more  conservative  members,  and  especially  of  one 
esteemed  elder,  the  instruments,  after  a  short  trial, 
were  dispensed  with,  excepting  the  bass-viol  as  played 
by  the  late  B.  F.  Meek,  who  continued  to  give  his  val- 
uable aid  as  fundamental  bass  to  the  harmony,  although 
the  good  elder  never  became  reconciled  to  the  "  fiddle," 
and  habitually  left  the  church  during  its  performance, 
returning  for  the  sermon. 

Mr.  John  B.  Temple  took  charge  of  the  music  in 
1853  in  our  present  church.  The  choir  for  a  short  time 
occupied  the  gallery  over  the  front  doors,  but  the  posi- 
tion was  found  to  be  unsuitable  and  unpleasant  to  all 
concerned,  and  the  singers  then  occupied  a  position  in 
the  middle  block  of  pews.  In  pitching  the  tunes  and  in 
learning  new  ones  at  the  rehearsals,  Mr.  Temple  used  a 

*  See  Appendix. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  159 

Ante,  the  cluirch  not  as  yet  having  an  instrument  to  lead 
the  music.  It  was  largely  due  to  Mr.  Temple's  influence 
and  efforts  that  the  first  church  organ  was  introduced,, 
in  1857.  The  cost  was  $1,100,  and  it  was  considered  a 
good  instrument  at  the  time.  Miss  Kendall,  a  music 
teacher  in  one  of  the  female  schools  of  the  town,  was 
the  first  organist.  She  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Anna  * 
Davidson,  one  of  the  most  delightful  singers  and  accom- 
plished musicians  ever  identified  with  our  church.  Mr. 
Temple  relinquished  the  leadership  of  the  choir  to 
Mr.  S.  C.  Bull,  who  has  had  charge  continuously  to 
the  present  time. 

During  her  residence  in  Frankfort,  Mrs.  John  M. 
Harlan,  as  organist  and  instructor,  brought  the  choir 
to  a  high  degree  of  proficiency,  until  it  became  one  of 
the  most  noted  in  the  State.  In  addition  to  Mrs.  Har- 
lan's superb  voice,  there  were  three  others  of  surpass- 
ing beauty  and  excellence,  those  of  Miss  Lucy  Lindsey 
and  Miss  Anne  Todd,  sopranos,  and  Miss  Hallie  Todd, 
contralto  —  four  voices  seldom  equaled,  never  surpassed, 
within  our  knowledge  in  a  voluntary  choir.  But  con- 
gregational singing  has  been  the  leading  feature,  in  the 
service  of  praise,  in  this  congregation,  and  truly  so 
during  the  present  generation  since  the  standing  posi- 
tion was  assumed  in  singing.  In  1870  Mr.  E.  A.  Fell- 
mer,  an  accomplished  musician  and  instructor,  took 
charge  as  organist.  This  position  he  filled  with  ability 
and  great  faithfulness  for  eighteen  years.*  In  view  of 
his  long  and  devoted  service,  special  action  was  taken 
for  record  by  the  session  in  accepting  his  resignation. 
About  the  year  i8go,  in  order  to  aid  this  branch  of  the 
service  and  lead  the  congregation,  a  cornet  and  other 


l6o  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

musical  instruments  were  introduced,  and  used  with 
acceptance  for  several  years,  until  the  building  of  the 
superb  organ  now  in  use.  To  the  Young  Ladies'  Sew- 
ing Society  of  the  church  is  principally  due  the  honor 
of  the  purchase  of  this  instrument,  which  is  from  the 
factory  of  the  Hook  &  Hastings  Company,  of  Boston, 
one  of  the  leadmg  organ  building  firms  of  the  country. 

The  choir  as  now  constituted,  and  under  the  training 
of  Miss  Harriet  McClure,  well  maintains  the  reputation 
of  former  years,  and  is  doing  excellent  service  in  lead- 
ing the  music  and  in  special  solo  and  choral  work. 
The  monthly  "  praise  service,"  in  which  both  choir  and 
congregation  unite,  is  one  most  heartily  enjoyed  by  all 
who  attend,  and  is  a  means  of  grace  and  spiritual  com- 
fort to  some  who  are  deprived  of  the  privilege  of 
participating  actively  in  this  service   of  song. 

Mr.  S.  C.  Bull,  who  has  been  actively  identified  with 
the  choir  for  forty  years  as  leader  and  manager,  is  still 
in  charge,  with  zeal  and  voice  unabated. 

The  personnel  of  the  choir  at  present,  1901,  is  as 
follows : 

Sopranos :  Miss  Webster,  Miss  Crutcher,  Miss 
Pepper,  Miss  Chinn. 

Contraltos :     Miss   McClure,  Mrs.  Rodgers. 

Tenors :     J.  M.  Vanderveer,  Ben  M.  Keenon. 

Bassos :     S.  C.  Bull,  G.  F.  Berry.  R.  K.  McClure,  Jr. 

S.  C.  Bull,  manager  and  leader. 

Miss  Harriet  McClure,  instructor  and  director. 

Miss  Annie  Brown,  organist. 


CHARLES   E.    HOGE, 
Chairman  of  Board  of  Deacons. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 63 

SPIRITUAI^ITY    AND    REVIVALS. 

Allusion  has  been  made  in  another  place  to  the 
revival  epochs  in  our  country.  The  year  1828  was  the 
beginning  of  the  third  great  religious  awakening  which 
extended  over  the  East  and  West,  continuing  eight  or 
ten  years.  As  was  the  case  with  the  one  which  began 
with  the  century,  the  effects  were  more  marked  in  Ken- 
tucky than  elsewhere,  but  it  differed  somewhat  from  the 
others  in  the  fact  that  the  regularly  ordained  ministry 
was  the  principal  instrument  honored  and  used  by  the 
Head  of  the  Church  in  reaching  the  unconverted.  Pas- 
tors over  the  land  left,  for  the  time  being,  their  pulpits 
and  became  evangelists.  Among  the  most  distinguished 
and  successful  of  these  were  :  Dr.  Nettleton,  in  the  East ; 
Dr.  Daniel  Baker,  in  the  South,  and  Dr.  Nathan  Hall, 
in  Kentucky.  In  our  Synod  alone  over  five  thousand 
persons  were  added  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The 
number  joining  the  Frankfort  Church  was  not  excep- 
tionally large,  being  less  than  one  hundred,  yet  it 
included  a  large  number  of  prominent  men  and  women, 
heads  of  families  and  people  of  influence.  Many  of 
these  became  most  useful  and  honored  members  and 
officers  of  the  church ;  not  a  few  of  them  were  spared 
to  bring  forth  much  fruit  to  the  honor  and  glory  of 
God,  even  down  to  old  age,  bearing  testimony  by  their 
godly  lives,  to  their  children  and  to  their  children's  chil- 
dren, of  the  faith  and  power  of  the  gospel.  Mr.  Edgar 
was  assisted  in  these  special  services  by  Rev.  Dr.  Nathan 
Hall,  at  that  time  pastor  at  Lexington,  a  preacher  of 
great  earnestness  and  power. 

The  religious  interest  throughout  the  State  con- 
tinued during  Dr.  Edgar's  pastorate,  and  also  that  of 


164  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Dr.  Baker,  who  succeeded  him.  The  practice  of  Pres- 
bytery at  that,  as  well  as  at  other  periods  of  the  early 
church,  was  to  direct  the  pastors  to  do  evangelistic  work 
in  the  destitute  parts  of  its  territory,  and  these  two  gifted 
men  were  frequently  appointed  for  special  work  else- 
where. Tliis  was  the  cause  of  much  restlessness  and 
some  discontent  in  our  church,  so  much  so  that  at  last 
our  session  felt  justified  in  forwarding  a  remonstrance 
on  the  subject  to  Presbytery,  in  which  among  other 
things  it  was  said :  "  We  are  only  wilHng  that  Bro. 
Baker  may  take  another  missionary  tour  under  the 
order  of  Presbytery  until  the  first,  but  no  longer  than  the 
middle,  of  December,  provided  Rev.  W.  W.  Hall  supply 
the  pulpit  in  his  absence,  and  provided  further  that  this 
session  shall  have  the  privilege  of  recalHng  Bro.  Baker 
at  any  time,  even  before  the  first  of  December,  if  his 
presence  here  is  necessary."  During  the  next  two  pas- 
torates, Dr.  Bullock's  and  Dr.  Robinson's,  although 
there  was  no  very  large  ingathering  at  any  one  time, 
I  he  membership  steadily  increased,  and  the  ratio  was 
well  maintained  during  the  decade  1850-1860.  When 
there  was  religious  interest  and  the  services  were  mul- 
tiplied, they  were  conducted  by  the  pastors  without  out- 
side help,  and  in  looking  over  the  list  of  accessions  to 
the  roll  between  1840  and  i860,  one  is  impressed  by 
the  goodly  array  of  names  and  the  increased  spiritual 
strength  that  came  to  the  church  during  that  period. 
In  1840  Dr.  Bullock  received  fifty-seven;  in  1842,  twenty- 
five.  In  1849  ^^-  Rol^hison  received  fifty-five,  and  in 
1857  Dr.  Safiford  thirty-six  upon  profession.  The  spirit 
of  revival,  which  had  again  returned,  and  was  moving 
over  the  land  in  1857-8,  was  checked  by  the  disturbed 
state  of  the  country  and  the  political  excitement  pre- 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  165 

ceding  the  Civil  War.  After  the  close  of  hostilities  it 
reasserted  itself,  and  the  revival  opened  afresh  in  various 
parts  of  the  Church. 

There  was  no  special  ingathering  in  this  church,  but 
it  experienced  a  steady  conservative  growth  during  the 
decades  1860-70  and  1870  to  1879.     In  this  latter  year 
the  church  was  greatly  refreshed  in  a^  series  of  special 
services,  continuing  through  the   month  of  February. 
The  pastor.  Rev.  J.  W.  Pugh,  was  assisted  by  Rev.  Dr. 
J.  L.  McKee,  of  Danville,  whose  labors  as  an  evangelist 
have  been  so  greatly  blessed  throughout  the  churches 
of  Kentucky  and  adjacent   States.     Fifty-five   services 
were  conducted  during  the  meeting,  which  number  rep- 
resents also  the  additions  to  the  cljurch  upon  profession 
of  faith.     In  1881  Dr.  McKee  again  visited  the  church, 
and  with  the  pastor  conducted  a  series  of  services,  dur- 
ing which  about  thirty  persons  were  added  upon  pro- 
fession.    Under  the  present  pastorate,  1884  to  1901,  the 
membership  has  increased  from  two  hundred  and  forty- 
three  to  four  hundred  and  forty-six.     In  the  year  1894 
the  churches  of  the  city  united  in  a  series  of  evangelistic 
services,  conducted  by  Rev.  B.  Fay  Mills,  a  grandson 
of  Judge  Benj.  Mills,  one  of  the  early  elders  of  this 
church.     He  was  the  son  of  Rev.  Thornton  A.  Mills, 
who  was  reared  in  our  church  and  entered  the  gospel 
ministry    here,    and    became    an    eminent    and    useful 
preacher.     At   the   date   above   mentioned,    1894,   Rev. 
B.  Fay  Mills  was  a  minister  in  good  standing  in  the 
Presbyterian   Church.      As   a   result   of   these   services 
"  ninety-nine  persons  were  added  to  our  church,  besides 
numerous  accessions  to  the  other  churches  of  the  city, 
whose  pastors  and  members  co-operated  heartily  in  the 
work.     With  the  exception  of  the  series  of  special  serv- 


l66  IIISTOKY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

ices  mentioned,  the  steady  growth  of  our  church  has 
been  due  to  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  ordinary 
means  of  grace,  which  he  has  instituted  in  the  church, 
the  labors  of  a  long  line  of  earnest  and  faithful  preach- 
ers of  the  Word,  and  the  lives  and  prayers  of  his  people. 
In  this  connection  we  must  not  by  any  means  omit  to 
mention  that  gftat  "  feeder  "  of  the  church,  the  Sab- 
bath-school, from  which  the  church  receives  much  of 
its  strength-,  and  which  should  be  the  object  of  our  most 
hearty  solicitude  and  support.  For  an  extended  sketch 
of  our  church  school,  see  Chapter  V. 


bp:nevolence. 

Although  our  General  Assembly,  soon  after  its 
organization  in  1789,  authorized  the  employment  of 
missionary  workers  in  the  destitute  portions  of  the 
States,  yet  the  Board  of  Missions  was  not  established 
until  the  year  181 6,  a  Standing  Committee  on  Missions 
having  been  appointed  in  1805.  As  early  as  1771  a  plan 
for  the  education  of  poor  and  pious  young  men  for  the 
ministry  was  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Phibdelphia,  yet  the  Board  of  Education  of  our  Church 
was  not  organized  until  1819.  The  Boards  of  Publica- 
tion and  Foreign  Missions  were  formed  in  1838,  Church 
Erection  in  18.14,  Ministerial  Relief  in  1855,  Freedman's 
Board  in  1865,  and  th.e  Board  of  Aid  for  Colleges  in 
1883. 

The  first-  mention  of  the  Frankfort  Church  in  the 
statistical  tables  of  the  General  Asseml:)ly  was  in  the 
year  1820.  Tiie  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington,  to 
whicn  this  church  was  attached,  reported  twenty-seven 


T.    L.    EDELEN, 
Secretary  of  Board  of  Deacons. 


FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 69 

churches  and  twelve  ministers.  The  Frankfort  Church 
was  credited  by  thirty  dollars  for  Home  Missions,  and 
was  the  only  church  in  the  Presbytery  contributing  to 
this  cause.  To  the  Theological  Seminary  Fund  this 
church  gave  more  than  any  of  the  older  and  stronger 
congregations,  and  in  addition  sent  a  special  gift  of 
sixty-seven  dollars  to  Princeton  Seminary,  through  the 
Board  of  Education,  from  the  "  Female  Education 
Society  of  the  Frankfort  Church."  This  Society  had 
been  formed  January,  1820,  in  response  to  an  appeal 
to  the  churches  made  by  the  General  Assembly  the 
previous  year.  The  reasons  given  show  a  loyal  and 
prompt  obedience  to  the  appeal,  and  may  be  read  with 
interest  in  this  connection :  * 

"  In  consequence  of  an  address  made  by  the  General 
Assembly  to  the  churches  under  its  charge,  stating  the 
low  state  of  the  funds  of  the  theological  school  at 
Princeton,  and  appeaUng  in  its  behalf  to  the  liberality 
of  the  churches,  we,  the  subscribing  members  of  the 
Presbvterian  Church  of  Frankfort,  and  others  who  are 
friendly  to  the  interests  of  religion,  promise  to  con- 
tribute annually  (if  able)  the  sums  annexed  to  our 
names,  payable  hereafter  in  the  first  week  of  January, 
to  be  used  solely  for  the  education  of  young  men 
designed  for  the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  to  be  sent  to  Princeton  Seminary  for  that  purpose. 

"  This  subscription  is  not  intended  to  supersede  or 
in  anv  manner  interfere  with  the  Cent  Society,  but  has 
originated  in  the  extreme  pressure  of  the  times,  and  the 
necessitv  of  immediate  exertion  being  made  by  the  pro- 
fessors and  friends  of  religion  for  the  relief  of  our  insti- 


170  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

tution,  as  being  indispensably  necessary  to  the  welfare 
of  our  Church. 

"  From  such  as  do  not  wish  to  become  members, 
either  ladies  or  gentlemen,  donations  will  be  thankfully 
received.  All  who  subscribe,  members  or  donors,  will 
have  the  goodness  to  pay  at  the  same  time,  as  the 
amount  raised  must  be  forwarded  immediately." 

The  paper  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Mrs.  Margaretta 
Brown,  and  was  evidently  prepared  by  her.  Her  name 
leads  on  the  list  of  subscribers,  followed  by  that  of 
Mrs.  Love,  Mrs.  Mary  Hanna,  and  thirty  others,  with 
several  gentleman  "  donors."  This  was  the  beginning 
of  that  line  of  female  societies  of  this  congregation 
which  have  done  such  noble  and  faithful  work,  during 
the  succeeding  years,  in^  raising  funds  and  devising 
ways  and  means  for  tb.e  benefit  of  the  church  here  and 
elsewhere. 

The  next  year,  i<S22,  the  total  contril^ution  by  the 
Presbytery  to  missions  was  $268,  of  which  amount  the 
Frankfort  Church  gave  $182.  Total  to  the  Theological 
Seminary  Fund,  $170,  of  which  this  church  gave  $50. 

In  1823  there  was  no  report  from  the  Synod  of  Ken- 
tucky in  the  General  Assembly's  Minutes,  except  the 
mention  of  a  contribution  to  the  Theological  Seminary 
Fund  by  the  Female  Education  Society  of  Frankfort. 
These  facts  and  figures  are  given  merely  to  show  the 
benevolent  spirit  of  our  early  church,  and  how  "  it  stood 
for  education." 

In  the  next  decade  nothing  wortliy  of  special  men- 
ti(jn  in  the  benevolent  work  of  this  church  occurred  until 
1833.  Althougli  the  church  was  at  that  time  without  a 
pastor,  the  gift  to  Home  Missions  was  $211  :   to  Educa- 


TUDGE    \V.  H.  SNEED, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 73 

ticn,  $436;    to  the  Colonization  Society,  $365.     In  the 
year   1839,  following  the  organization  of  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board,  this  church  is  credited  in  the  Minutes 
by  $400  for  this  cause.     For  a  number  of  years  our 
Frankfort  Church  had  been  contributing  through  West 
Lexington  Presbytery  to  the  support  of  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary,   besides    making    regular    collections    for    the 
American   Board  of   Foreign   Missions ;    but   consider- 
able rivalry  and  friction  having  occurred  between  the 
various  agencies,  our  church  thereafter  turned  all  its 
funds  tor  this  object  into  the  treasury  of  our  Assem- 
bly's Board  of  Foreign  Missions.     In  the  decade  1840- 
1850  the  benevolent  contributions  were  well  maintained. 
In  1847,  $411  went  to  Home  Missions,  and  $174  to  For- 
eign  Missions.     The   church   has   never   surpassed   the 
self-denial  and  liberaHty  of  its  earlier  years,  nor  kept 
up  its   contributions   in  proportion  to   its   increase   in 
numbers  and  financial  strength.     Nevertheless  few  years 
have  passed  without  contributions  being  sent  to  all  our 
Boards.     In  the  centennial  year  of  our  Assembly,  1888, 
in  compliance  with  the  request  of  that  august  body  to 
the  churches  to  raise  a  million  dollars  as  a  centennial 
offering  to  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief,  this  church 
made  a  special  effort  and  responded  nobly  to  the  appeal, 
remitting  to  the  Board  $1,235. 

In  the  year  1883,  while  the  church  was  without  a 
pastor,  the  session,  after  due  consideration,  made  an 
important  change  in  the  disposition  of  the  benevolent 
funds  of  the  congregation.  This  church  had  been 
spared  the  calamities  of  division  when  so  many  churches 
in  the  border  States  of  the  South  were  rent  in  twain 
after  the  Civil  War.  In  its  membership  was  a  large  ele- 
ment which  was  Southern  in  its  sympathies  and  afifilia- 


174  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

tions.  It  was  proposed  by  the  session  to  divide  equally 
between  the  two  General  Assemblies,  North  and  South, 
our  annual  contributions  to  Home  Missions,  Foreign 
Missions,  Education,  Puljlication  and  Sunday-school 
Work.  Church  Erection,  Ministerial  Relief  and  Freed- 
men.  It  was  hoped  that  by  this  plan  renewed  interest 
and  Hberally  would  be  aroused  in  the  congregation,  and 
the  result  has  been  a  gratifying  success.  We  have  been 
enabled  to  give  to  each  Assembly  more  than  we  pre- 
viously gave  to  the  one.  Thus,  without  relaxing  loyalty 
to  our  own  Assembly's  Boards,  we  have  been  permitted 
to  aid  our  brethren  of  the  Southern  Church  in  their 
labors  for  our  common  Lord  and  Master.  Xor  have 
they  been  wanting  in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  the 
contributions  sent  by  this  church,  which  occupies  in  this 
matter  a  position  altogether  unique.  Numbers  of  appre- 
ciative letters  have  been  received  by  the  treasurer  of 
these  funds,  who  holds  the  receipts  of  the  several  com- 
mittees of  the  Southern  Church  for  contributions  sent 
to  the  amount  of  over  $4,000.* 


THE   LADIES"  SEWING   SOCIETY. 

The  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  of  this  church  has  for 
over  sixty  years  been  a  leading  factor  in  our  church 
work  in  providing  ways  and  means  for  congregational 
purposes.  As  early  as  1830  a  society  was  organized  by 
the  ladies  for  church  work  which  was  called  bv  them 
"  The  Circle  of  Benevolent  Industry."  It  object,  besides 
providing  clothing  for  the  needy  poor,  was  to  make  for 

'''  See  Tabular  Statement. 


J.    W.    PRUETT, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 77 

sale  articles  of  wearing  ajiparel  and  other  handiwork 
for  ornament  as  well  as  use,  in  order  to  raise  funds 
for  church  expenses.  Airs.  Eliza  Sharpe  was  the  first 
President.  In  the  small  beginnings  of  the  Society  the 
articles  of  needle-work  were  sent  around  for  sale  in  a 
covered  basket,  which  is  still  preserved.  The  Society, 
after  filling  an  important  place  in  the  activities  of  the 
church  for  some  years,  was  finally  merged  into  the 
Ladies'  Sewing  Society,  which  in  the  meantime  had 
been  formed. 

The  first  effort  of  the  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  had 
been  to  raise  funds  for  a  scholarship  in  Centre  College. 
They  then  devoted  their  energies  to  their  own  congre- 
gational matters,  principally  in  providing  a  parsonage 
for  the  church.  This  was  completed  and  paid  for  by 
the  Society  during  Dr.  Bullock's  pastorate,  and  was 
occupied  by  him  for  several  years.  When  Dr.  Stuart 
Robinson  became  pastor  he  preferred  living  in  South 
Frankfort,  and  at  his  request  the  Society  sold  the  par- 
sonage and  united  with  him  in  purchasing  a  larger  and 
more  desirable  property  on  Second  and  Shelby  Streets. 
Here  was  located  the  Female  Academy  which  was 
inaugurated  by  the  session  of  this  church,  and  which 
under  Dr.  Robinson's  superintendency  became  widely 
known  as  a  school  of  high  grade.  Mrs.  Ann  Crittenden 
was  at  this  time  the  President  of  the  Societv,  having 
some  years  before  succeeded  Airs.  John  J.  Crittenden, 
who  for. many  years  had  been  a  most  efficient  President. 
When  the  congregation  undertook  the  building  of  the 
present  house  of  worship,  this  Society  entered  enthusi- 
astically into  the  work,  and  was  so  successful  in  doing 
the  part  that  it  had  assumed,  and  much  more  in  addi- 
tion,  that   the   pastor   jokingly   asserted   that    the   next 


178  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

work  to  be  undertaken  by  the  ladies  would  be  the 
erection  of  a  new  Capitol  for  the  State. 

By  reference  to  the  Treasurer's  books  it  is  evident 
that  the  Society  was  true  to  its  name,  and  was  a  "  Sew- 
ing Society  *'  in  the  fullest  sense.  A  very  large  variety 
of  needlework,  fancy  articles  and  small  wares  was 
readily  disposed  of  at  fair  prices,  and  the  receipts  at 
some  of  the  monthly  meetings  for  work  and  articles 
disposed  of  during  the  month  amounted  to  fifteen  and 
even  twenty  dollars,  and  occasionally  to  nearly  double 
that  sum.  On  April  5th,  1867,  the  Society  was  reor- 
ganized and  strengthened  by  the  accession  of  new  mem- 
bers, and  at  this  meeting  sixty  ladies  were  present  and 
paid  their  dues.  Tn  its  continuous  work  to  the  present 
day  this  Society  has  been  an  invaluable  aid  in  provid- 
ing funds  for  the  congregation,  in  meeting  the  various 
demands  for  improving,  refurnishing  and  caring  for  the 
church  building,  and  in  tiding  the  congregation  over 
repeated  financial  emergencies,  to  all  of  which  good 
work  the  officers  of  the  church  will  cheerfully  testify. 

The  present  ofificers  are :  ^Irs.  J.  N.  Crutcher,  Pres- 
ident; Mrs.  Mary  A.  McClure,  Treasurer;  Miss  ^lag 
Page,  Secretary. 


THE    LADIES"   BENEVOLENT    SOCIETY. 

The  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society  of  this  church  has 
been  in  active  operation  about  fifty  years.  The  initial 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Thomas  S.  Page 
November  13th,  1852.  The  following  ladies  were  i)res- 
ent :  ]\Irs.  Stuart  Robinson,  Mrs.  Af.  Y.  Brown.  lane 
B.   Page,   Eliza   P.   Monroe,  Jane   L.   Swigert.  Rebecca 


DR.    SAMUEL   E.   JAMES, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  l8l 

Cox,  A.  J.  Crittenden,  R.  A.  Samuel,  Elizabeth  Hodges, 
Alary  E.  Batchelor,  Martha  A.  Roberts,  Ann  M.  Knott, 
Lavinia  Herndon,  Harriet  Page,  Matilda  Reading,  Mary 
C.  Munsell,  Mary  Williams,  Sarah  C.  Watson,  Cornelia 
Roberts,  H.  JM.  Brown,  Hallie  Todd,  E.  C.  Strobridge, 
Margerite  Leavy,  Ann  Hord,  Sarah  H.  Sneed,  Susan 
Rodman,  Mary  Hendrick,  Ellen  Clark,  Ann  E.  Tilford 
and  Miss  Harvey.  They  were  enrolled  and  adopted  a 
constitution,  and  all  present  signed  the  same  in  the  order 
above  named.  Mrs.  M.  Y.  Brown  was  then  chosen 
President ;  Airs.  A.  J.  Crittenden,  Vice-President ;  Mrs. 
Leavy,  »Secretary,  and  Mrs.  Batchelor,  Treasurer.  The 
town  was  divided  into  three  districts,  and  to  each  was 
assigned  five  ladies,  whose  duty  it  was  to  visit  and  afford 
relief  and  sympathy  to  the  needy  and  distressed,  and  to 
report  their  cases  to  the  regular  meetings  of  the  Society. 
At  the  next  meeting  the  following  additional  names  were 
enrolled :  Mrs.  Juliet  Samuel,  Mrs.  Margerite  Hern- 
don, Airs.  Charlotte  Letcher,  Airs.  Allie  Todd,  Airs. 
James  Harlan  and  Aliss  Maria  Cronley. 

The  dues  of  the  Society  were  twenty-five  cents  per 
month,  and  to  this  revenue  was  added  the  amount  of  the 
collections  for  the  poor  made  in  the  church. 

The  Society  still  continues  the  beneficent  work  of  its 
founders,  and  through  the  half  century  has  been,  and 
still  is,  a  fountain  of  blessing  to  the  distressed  poor  of 
our  church  and  the  community. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Society  are :  Airs.  W.  E. 
Barrett,  President,  and  Airs.  T.  L.  Edelen,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer. 


l82  HISTORY    OF    FIKST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

THE   LADIES'    MISSIONARY    SOClF{TY. 

Tlie  Ladies'  Missionary  Society  of  this  church  was 
organized  March  20th,  1878.  At  a  meeting  of  the  ladies 
of  the  congregation  on  the  above  date,  in  the  church, 
Rev.  J.  W.  Pugh,  the  pastor,  was  present,  and  explained 
the  object  of  the  meeting,  and  at  the  request  of  those 
present,  presided  during  the  preliminary  proceedings. 
A  constitution,  consisting  of  eleven  articles,  modeled 
after  that  of  the  Synodical  Society,  was  adopted,  and 
the  following  ofificers  were  then  chosen :  For  Presi- 
dent, Mrs.  Mag  Gaines ;  for  Vice-President,  Mrs. 
Aggie  Sneed ;  for  Secretary,  Miss  Hallie  Herndon ;  for 
Treasurer,  Mrs.  L.  J.  Tate.  Eight  Directors  were  also 
chosen :  Mrs.  Hettie  Lindsay,  Mrs.  Wattie  Crutcher. 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Bacon,  Mrs.  Grant  Green,  Misses  Sue 
Ghieselin,  Emma  Pruett,  Fannie  Hendrick  and  Sallie 
Jackson.  The  city  was  divided  into  four  districts,  and 
two  directors  were  assigned  to  each  for  special  work 
in  arranging  a  canvass  for  funds  in  the  congregation. 
The  collectors  appointed  were :  Misses  Lettie  Todd, 
Sallie  Sneed,  Annie  P)ull,  Annie  Monroe,  Mary  P)Ush, 
lycna  Pepper,  Annie  McClure  and  Kate  Bush. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  our  Ladies'  Missionary 
Society,  which  has  continued  until  the  present  time,  and 
as  an  auxiliary  to  our  Synod's  Society  and  a  component 
part  of  our  General  Assembly's  work,  represented  by  the 
Women's  Board,  has  done  noble  work  for  Home  and 
Foreign  Missions. 

The  present  ofificers  are:  Miss  INIary  Page,  Presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  J.  H.  Graham,  Vice-President ;  Mrs.  W.  F. 
Barrett,  Treasurer  ;   Miss  Sallie  Jackson,  Secretary. 


JUDGE   W.    C.    HERNDON, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  1 85 

YOUNG    LADIES'   SEWING    SOCIETY. 

Ill  the  year  1878  Mrs.  E.  L-  Samuel,  of  this  church, 
gathered  together  at  her  house,  one  Saturday  afternoon, 
a  number  of  the  young  girls  of  the  congregation,  rang- 
ing in  age  from  twelve  to  eighteen  years.  The  object 
had  in  view  was  the  formation  of  a  sewing  circle,  as  a 
sort  of  training  school  to  get  the  girls  interested'  in 
church  work.  About  fifteen  girls  were  present,  and 
Mrs.  Samuel,  with  the  assistance  of  Miss  Vene  Hern- 
don,  directed  and  trained  them  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  handiwork  for  a  year  or  more,  during  which 
period  they  met  with  Mrs.  Samuel  every  Saturday 
afternoon. 

Other  girls  becoming  interested  and  joining  the 
circle,  a  "  Society "  was  launched,  with  Miss  Vene 
Herndon,  President,  and  Miss  Jennie  Waggener,  Sec- 
retary and  Treasurer.  The  following  were  the  first 
members  of  the  Society :  Sallie  Cannon,  Pattie  Rob- 
erts, Lucy  Stockton,  Mary  Ely,  Annie  Crutcher,  Sadie 
Pugh,  Rebecca  x\verill.  Rose  Stewart,  Allie  Todd,  Lena 
Stewart,  Nannie  Browder,  Jennie  Bull,  Annie  Bull,  Lillie 
Cleveland  and  Kate  Green. 

The  incentive  to  the  first  efforts  of  the  little  Society 
was  to  aid  in  refurnishing  the  main  room  of  the  church, 
and  the  first  one  hundred  dollars  earned  was  given 
towards  the  payment  of  the  new  lighting  apparatus,  or 
"  sun  light."  The  second  like  amount  was  expended 
in  the  repairing  and  refurnishing  of  the  Sabbath-school 
room.  After  this  the  Society  aspired  to  still  greater 
achievements,  and  took  up  the  matter  of  a  new  church 
organ.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  of  energetic  efifort 
and  persistent  work  it  was   enabled  to  place   the   fine 


l86  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FKANKFORT. 

instrument  now  in  nse  in  tht-  church,  at  a  cost  of  over 
two  thousand  dollars. 

The  Society  still  maintains  its  active  organization 
of  over  thirty  members,  working  usually  with  some 
definite  end  in  view,  after  accomplishing  which  another 
object  is  taken  up. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Society  are :  ]\Irs.  John 
W.  Milam,  President,  and  Miss  Rebecca  G.  Averill, 
Secretarv  and  Treasurer. 


BIBLE    SOCIETY. 

The  first  Bible  Society  in  the  United  States  was  the 
Philadelphia  Bible  Society,  organized  in  1808.  The  fol- 
lowing year  brought  forth  the  Connecticut,  the  Massa- 
chusetts, the  New  York  and  the  New  Jersey  Societies. 

The  sixth  vSociety  organized  in  this  country,  for  pub- 
lishing and  distributing  the  Holy  Scriptures,  was  the 
Kentucky  Bible  Society,  formed  in  Lexington  in  181 1.* 
Among  its  founders  and  active  supporters  were :  Revs. 
James  Blythe,  Robert  H.  Bishop,  Nathan  H.  Hall,  John 
T.  Edgar,  James  McChord,  John  Lyle  and  Eli  Smith ; 
also  Hon.  Benjamin  jNIills,  Joseph  C.  Breckinridge, 
David  A.  Sayre,  and  other  prominent  laymen.  Gov- 
•ernors  Isaac  vShelby,  George  Madison,  John  Adair  and 
Gabriel  Slaughter  were  in  succession  also  active  mem- 
bers and  promoters.  The  dues  from  members  of  the 
Society  were  one  dollar  and  hftv  cents  a  vear.  with  the 


*  The  data  used  in  this  part  of  the  work  are  taken  from 
"Sketches  of  Bible  Work"  by  Rev.  Dr.  George  S.  Savage,  for 
thirty-two  years  the  District  Superintendent  of  The  American 
Bible  Society,  for  Kentucky. 


DAVID    NICOL, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  189 

payment  of  three  dollars  upon  entering  the  Society 
and  signing  the  constitution.  The  field  of  operations, 
besides  Kentucky,  was  the  territories  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Tennessee  and  Louisiana.  The  Society  placed  Bibles 
on  all  the  steamboats  of  the  Western  rivers,  and  Testa- 
ments in  the  hands  of  the  soldiers  of  the  War  of  1812, 
in  addition  to  canvassing  and  supplying  its  own  exten- 
sive field.  Branch  associations  were  rapidly  formed  in 
the  variotis  towns  and  counties  of  the  State,  and  these 
were  supplied  from  Lexington  with  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments for  local  distribution.  To  aid  in  the  collection  of 
funds,  "  Cent  Societies  "  were  formed  by  the  ladies  and 
children  in  the  churches,  and  we  find  allusions  to  the 
Frankfort  Cent  Society  in  the  records  of  our  Sunday- 
school.  In  1818  the  American  Bible  Society  of  New 
York  granted  the  Kentucky  Society  two  sets  of  stereo- 
type plates,  dift'erent  sizes,  to  aid  in  the  work,  and  later 
on  the  Board  of  Managers  in  New  York  made  this  sig- 
nificant record  in  their  annual  report :  "  There  have 
been  printed  during  six  years  of  the  Society,  at  the 
depository  of  the  American  Bible  Society  in  New  York, 
and  in  Lexington,  Ky.,  on  stereotyped  plates,  36,375 
copies  of  the  Scriptures." 

In  1818  tiie  Kentucky  Society  was  merged  into  an 
auxiliary  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  a  new  con- 
stitution was  formed  and  officers  elected.  Governor 
George  Madison  was  President ;  Lieutenant-Governor 
Slaughter,  Vice-President ;  and  among  the  Directors 
were  Rev.  Eli  Smith  and  John  Brown,  of  the  Frankfort 
Church.  Thomas  T.  Skillman,  at  that  period  the  most 
noted  publisher  and  bookmaker  west  of  the  Alleghenies, 
was  the  publisher  of  the  Society,  and  in  one  year  alone 
he  issued  three  editions  of  two  thousand  copies   each 


190  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

of  the  Scriptures,  printing  them  on  paper  made  near 
Georgetown,  Ky.,  "  and  equal  in  workmanship  to  the 
Eastern  pubHcations."  This  Society  made  a  record  for 
itseh'  and  for  the  State.  "  Its  early  date,  its  liberality,  its 
efificiency,  its  zeal  and  the  wide  range  of  its  operations, 
the  conceded  influence  it  had  in  the  organization  of 
the  great  American  Bii^le  Society,  and  the  framing  of 
its  constitution,  make  a  chapter  of  history  worthy  to 
be  recorded  and  perpetuated.  Kentucky  was  in  the 
West,  and  concentrating  interests  were  eastward,  and 
it  became  apparent  that  the  Kentucky  Bible  Society, 
with  its  noble  and  heroic  record,  had  about  served  its 
day  and  generation  as  an  independent  organization,  and 
should  become  an  auxiliary  to  the  National  Society."* 
One  of  the  articles  of  the  new  constitution  provided 
that  the  annual  meetings  of  the  Society  shall  be  held 
alternately  in  Lexington  and  Frankfort. 

In  1823  the  Frankfort  Society  was  reorganized  as 
an  auxiliary  to  the  American  Bible  Society,  with  Rev. 
Eli  Smith  Corresponding  Secretary,  and  at  the  same 
time,  in  accordance  with  the  principles  and  constitu- 
tion of  the  National  Society,  all  the  other  Protestant 
Churches  were  included  in  its  membership,  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Franklin  County  Bible  Societv." 

This  Society  has  continued  without  intermission  to 
the  present  day,  and  each  year,  on  the  last  Sabbath 
evening  of  February,  holds  its  anniversary  reunions  in 
one  of  the  participating  churches,  making  its  annual 
report  and  electing  its  officers  for  the  ensuing  vear. 
The  resident  pastors  are  cx-o-fficio  \'icc-Presidents  of  the 
Societv  and  members  of  the  Board  of  Managers.     This 


*  Dr.  Savage's  Sketches  of  Bible  Work. 


J.    BUFORD    HENDRICK, 
Deacon. 


FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT.  I93 

Society,  during  its  seventy-eight  years  of  active  life,  has 
been  a  source  of  blessing  and  a  power  for  good  in  the 
communitv  and  the  adjacent  country.  It  has  made 
many  general  canvasses  and  visitations  in  the  city  and 
county,  supplying  the  Scriptures  to  the  destitute.  At 
one  tim.e  the  Society  employed  a  special  agent,  who  in 
the  course  of  his  work  explored  the  adjoining  county  of 
Owen,  visiting  live  hundred  and  seventy-seven  famihes, 
of  which  number  sixty-nine  were  without  a  copy  of  the 
Scriptures.  It  has  also  at  different  times  aided  in  spe- 
cial work  irs  the  mountains  of  Kentucky.  In  the  year 
1866  Rev.  George  S.  Savage  was  appointed  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  for  Eastern  Kentucky,  and  has, 
almost  without  intermission,  made  annual  visitations  to 
this  field,  usually  upon  the  occasion  of  the  anniversary 
of  the  local  Society.  To  his  abihty,  zeal  and  fostering 
care  the  continued  success  and  efficiency  of  the  Franklin 
County  Bible  Society  are  largely  due. 

The  congregation  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
has  been  actively  identified  with  the  work  of  this  Society 
from  its  formation,  and  for  many  years  furnished  its 
officers,  especially  during  its  earlier  decades.  Ex-Gov- 
ernor Robert  P.  Letcher  was  for  a  number  of  years 
President,  and  Colonel  Alex.  Rennick  served  in  this 
office  for  many  terms.  But  for  many  years  past  the 
officers  and  committees  have  been  taken  in  rotation 
from  the  various  churches  of  the  city,  all  of  whom 
co-operate  in  the  work  and  give  it  their  cordial  support. 
We  find  some  allusions  in  our  Church  Sabbath- 
school  papers  and  records  to  a  Female  Bible  Society 
in  this  church,  but  no  account  is  given  of  its  work, 
except  here  and  there  an  allusion  is  made  to  its  dona- 


194  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

tions  of  Bibles  and  Testaments.  Rev.  Dr.  George 
Savage,  in  his  "  Sketches  of  \V\h\e  Work,"  referred  to 
elsewhere,  mentions  that  "  the  Frankfort  Female  Bible 
Society  was  organized  in  1833,  with  Mrs.  Margaretta 
Brown,  Secretary,"  and  adds  that  he  was  not  able  to 
find  any  further  record  of  the  Society. 


THOAIAS    P.    AVERILL. 
Deacon. 


CHAPTER    V. 
FIRST    CHURCH    SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

Anv    sketch    of    this    church    would    be    manifestly 
incomplete  did   it  not  include  an  allusion  to  the   Sab- 
bath-school, and  some  account  of  its  early  history  and 
methods.     This   was   the   pioneer   school   of  the   West, 
and  was  second  only  in  date  to  the  one  formed  in  Pitts- 
burg one  year  earher.     This  school  has  been  from  its 
beginning  a  leading  factor  in  the  development  and  work 
of  this  church,  its  strong  right  arm,  which  in  the  faith- 
ful labors  of  its  teachers,  by  the  blessing  of  the  great 
Head  of  the   Church,  has  done  much  to  add  to  and 
strengthen  the  body.     It  may  be  truly  said  that  it  has 
been,  and  still  is,  "  the  nursery  of  the   church,"  from 
which  it  has  drawn  its  largest  accessions,  both  in  num- 
bers   and   spiritual    strength.     It   has    numbered    in    its 
workers  many  wise  and  consecrated  teachers,  and  who 
may   estimate   the  benefits   it   has   conferred   upon   the 
pupils  who   have   enjoyed  the  privilege   of   its   instruc- 
tions, many  of  whom  went  elsewhere  to  teach  others. 
The    beginning    of    the    Sabbath-school    antedates    the 
organization   of   our   church   about   six   years.     In   the 
year  i8io  Rev.  Michael  Arthur,  a  Scotch  Presbyterian 
minister,  was  induced  to  come  to  Frankfort  to  open  a 
school  for  boys.     He  was  brou;^'ht  hither  by  Hon.  John 
Brown  and  other  citizens,  who  felt  the  need  of  better 
instruction  for  their  sons  than  was  afforded  in  the  town. 
Shortlv  after  opening  the  school,  at  the  earnest  solici- 
tation of  Mrs.  Brown,  ^Ir.  Arthur  gathered  the  boys 
together  also  on  tlie  Pabbath  day,  and  spent  an  hour 


198  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

teacliing-  them  the  Scriptures  and  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism. This  was  the  beginning  of  our  Sabbath-school, 
and  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  x\rthur  and  the  closing 
of  his  day  school,  the  Sabbath  instructions  were  main- 
tained by  Mrs.  Rrown,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Love,  Mrs.  Berk- 
ley and  Miss  Humphreys,  and  in  March,  1819,  a  school 
was  organized  for  girls  only.  Mrs.  Margaretta  Brown 
was  chosen  superintendent,  wi^h  six  teachers  —  Mrs. 
Love,  Mrs.  Berkley,  Miss  Humphreys,  Mrs.  Foster, 
Mrs.  Bush  and  Mrs.  Brown,  The  school  was  held  for 
the  most  part  in  the  "  big  room  "  of  the  Love  House, 
but  occasionally  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Brown,  when  more 
expedient. 

Mrs.  Brown  was  at  the  same  time  superintendent, 
secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  school  opened  with  eighteen  girls  in  the  six 
classes.  During  the  ensuing  summer  the  number  in 
attendance  increased  to  forty,  but  the  average  attend- 
ance the  first  year  was  thirty. 

In  this  day  of  abounding  Sunday-school  literature 
and  helps,  we  can  not  realize  the  difficulties  with  which 
these  devoted  women  were  forced  to  contend  in  carry- 
ing on  their  labor  of  love.  The  American  Sunday- 
school  Union  had  not  been  yet  organized,  and  suitable 
books  could  not  be  procured  unless  made  to  order  by 
the  printers.  Among  the  papers  and  accounts  yet  pre- 
served in  the  records  of  the  school  we  find  these  and 
similar  items  of  printing  bills : 

Mr.s.  M.  M.  Brown  to  Randall  S:  Russell.  Dr. 

To  printing  60  Catechisms,  21,000  ems $6  30 

To  paper  used  for  the  same 3  00 

To  Mr.  Woods'  hill  for  hinding.  . ., i  50 

To  press  work i  20 

$12  00 


WILLIAM   A.    BULL, 
Deacon. 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  20I 

Also  the  following  bill: 

To  printmg  50  copies  of  the  Commandments  $2  50 

To  printing  36  Primers 2  00 

To  printing  12  Brown's  Catechisms i  00 

To   printing  25  copies   "Food  tor   Lambs"..     6  25 


$11  75 
In  the  preparation  of  the  lessons  the  classes  used 
questions  on  the  Scriptures  which  were  prepared  and 
written  out  for  them  by  the  superintendent.  For  this 
and  other  literary  work  Mrs.  Brown,  by  early  educa- 
tion and  religious  training  in  her  Eastern  home,  was 
eminently  qualified.  In  addition  to  a  number  of  beau- 
tiful hymns  written  for  the  school,  she  compiled  a  Bible 
Dictionary,  "  Food  for  Lambs,"  and  "  Brown's  Cate- 
chism "  for  the  younger  scholars ;  also  "  Exemplifica- 
tions of  the  Golden  Rule,"  based  on  the  Scripture, 
Matthew  vii.  T2.  Under  sixteen  sections,  or  "  exem- 
plifications," she  taught  the  children  to  put  themselves 
in  the  place  of  others,  and  to  act  as  they  should  do 
under  the  teaching  of  the  text.  And  in  concluding  the 
series  she  turned  their  minds  to  conteinplate  the  Savior 
in  his  work  of  love  for  each  one  individually,  and  urged 
them  in  return  to  give  to  Him  their  love  and  obedience. 

'■  Be  you  to  others  kind  and  true. 
As,  you'd  have  others  be  to  you; 
And  never  do  nor  .say  to  them 
Whate'er  you  would  not  take  again." 

Mrs.  Brown  also  taught  and  trained  the  younger 
teachers,  and  when  entering  upon  her  work  as  a  teacher, 
each  one  would  receive  from  her  a  carefully  prepared 
paper,  in  which  her  duties  were  detailed,  and  her  respon- 
sibiHty  to  God  and  the  class  afifectionately  urged.  As 
secretarv,  ]\Irs.  Brown  kept  a  record  of  the  weekly  work 


202  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

of  the  classes  and  the  individual  scholars.  As  treasurer, 
she  kept  accurate  account  of  all  funds  she  collected  and 
disbursed.  The  school  as  yet  had  no  library,  and  the 
scarcity  of  suitable  reading  matter  for  the  children  was 
severely  felt.  In  the  year  1822,  however,  Mrs.  Brown 
notes  in  her  record :  "  Received  from  the  Rev.  Air. 
John  Breckinridge,  of  Princeton  Theological  School, 
the  gift  of  fifty  books."  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Sunday-school  library,  which  was  subsequently  added 
to  when  the  school  was  reorganized  in  the  First  Church 
buikhng  some  years  later.  The  school  was  supported 
mostly  by  individual  subscriptions,  and  a  collection  was 
regularly  made  in  the  church  once  or  twice  a  year. 

The  exercises  of  the  school  were  largely  devoted  to 
the  recitation  of  Scripture,  which  had  been  memorized 
during  the  week  by  the  scholars,  together  with  the 
Assembly  Shorter  Catechism,  Brown's  Catechism  and 
hymns.  In  looking  over  the  class  books  we  are 
impressed  with  the  aptitude  displayed  by  the  children 
and  the  faithful  work  performed. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1823  Mrs.  Brown  records 
a  summary  of  the  five  years'  work : 

A^'erage  attendance,  30. 

Number  of  verses  of  Scripture.  Shorter  Catechism,  Brown's 
Catechism  and  Hymns  recited  in — 

1819,  45,000,  averaging  28  pei"  scholar  per  Sabbath. 

i8.?0,  36,922,  averaging  23  per  scholar  per  Sabl)ath. 

1821,  36,640,  averaging  22  per  scholar  per  Sabbath. 

1822,  41,000,  averaging  26  per  scholar  per  Sabbath. 
182,'^,  41,140,  averaging  26  per  scholar  per  Sabbath. 

One  little  girl  is  mentioned  who  entered  the  school 
in  1819,  at  five  years  of  age,  and  had  recited  in  the  five 
years  10,551  verses. 

As   treastirer,   Mrs.    l')rown   rei)orts   funds   collected, 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  203 

$86.60.  Amount  expended,  mostly  for  printing-,  $101.60. 
As  secretary,  she  reports  113  pupils  instructed,  509 
rewards  bestowed,  446  tracts,  202  Catechisms,  21  Bibles 
and  100  copies  of  the  Commandments  distributed.  These 
statistics  serve  to  show  the  very  faithful  work  done  by 
the  teachers,  and  at  the  same  time  the  industry  and 
spirit  of  emulation  on  the  part  of  children  in  storing 
their  minds  with  the  Holy  Scriptures.  At  this  time  the 
following  girls,  Martha  Todd,  Mary  W.  Brown,  Cather- 
ine Scott,  Margerite  Sproule  and  Frances  Bibb,  were 
"  honorably  dismissed  from  the  school  with  testimonials 
of  approbation."  In  these  papers  it  was  stated  that 
during  their  attendance  of  two  and  a  half  years  upon 
the  school  they  had  read  the  Bible  regularly  throu-gh, 
and  some  books  of  it  several  times  over;  had  each 
recited  from  six  thousand  to  seven  thousand  verses  of 
Scripture,  and  were  perfect  in  the  Shorter  Catechism; 
they  had  each  searched  out,  transcribed  and  memorized 
six  hundred  verses  of  Scripture  proofs  in  support  of  the 
doctrines  which  they  had  been  taught,  and  had  studied 
and  drawn  the  maps  of  such  parts  of  the  world  as  were 
connected  with  sacred  history. 

In  the  advanced  methods  of  education  of  the  present 
day,  which  include  Sabbath-school  teaching  as  well  as 
secular  instruction,  the  practice  of  the  earlier  Sabbath- 
schools,  in  requiring  the  memorizing  of  Scripture,  may 
not  be  approved.  Indeed,  one  of  the  prominent  Sab- 
bath-school papers  of  recent  date,  in  adverse  criticism 
of  the  practice,  concludes  an  article  on  the  subject  with 
these  words :  ''  Parrot  or  rote  reciting  of  the  Bible  and 
Catechism  is  a  poor  use  of  children's  minds  and  time, 
and  does  not  tend  to  impress  the  truths  taught  in  the 
Bible.     Hence  there  is  no  true  gain  in  such  memorizing 


204  IIISTOKY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

and  reciting,  however  valuable  and  important  are  the 
words  thus  misused.''  This  may  have  been  to  some 
extent  true  in  some  cases,  but  as  a  general  rule  it  does 
not  hold  good.  The  survivors  of  the  old  system,  though 
now  few  in  number,  will  bear  testimony  to  its  benefits 
and"  lifelong  blessings.  Under  judicious  selection  much 
of  the  Scripture  used  was  adapted  to  the  comprehension 
of  the  average  child,  and  portions  not  fully  understood 
at  the  time  were  more  fully  apprehended  in  after  years. 
This  was  especially  the  case  with  the  Shorter  Catechism. 
During  the  last  year  covered  by  Mrs.  Brown's  report 
the  highest  number  of  verses  recited  was  3,394,  by  Cor- 
nelia Crittenden,  an.  average  of  sixty-five  per  Sabbath. 
The  next  highest  number  was  3,229  verses,  an  average 
of  sixty-two.  The  list  of  teachers  had  changed  some- 
what, the  following  being  those  in  charge  of  classes  at 
the  end  of  the  school  year,  October,  1823  :  Mrs.  Brown, 
Mrs.  Love,  Mrs.  R.  Bibb,  Miss  Bibb,  Miss  Todd  and 
Miss  Sproule.  In  the  expenditures  the  greatest  amount 
went  to  the  printer ;  the  next  heaviest  outlay  was  for 
"  reward  books  and  cards,"  which  were  procured  in 
Philadelphia,  usually  by  the  courtesy  of  the  Frankfort 
merchants  v.dien  they  went  East  after  goods  in  spring 
and  fall.  Tracts  were  occasionally  sent  out  from  the 
East  as  a  present  from  friends,  and  the  only  expense  to 
the  school  was  the  postage.  An  item  that  frequently 
occurred  was  paper  for  covering  the  books,  catechisms, 
tracts,  and  other  reading  matter,  showing  the  care  used 
in  preserving  these  precious  helps.  The  strictest  econ- 
omy was  used  in  the  expenditures,  and  an  accurate 
account  kept,  to  the  fraction  of  a  cent.  The  following 
memoranfium  occurs  at  the  beginning  of  the  treasurer's 
report : 


H 
X 

m 

DO 

O 


C/3 

o 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  207 

"  l»hoiigh  the  accounts  are  all  kept  in  specie,  some 
of  the  receipts  are  in  commonwealth.  These,  however, 
are  credited  as  speeie,  according  to  the  current  rate  of 
exchange  at  the  time,  one  dollar  commonwealth  to 
seventy-five  cents  specie." 

While  printing  and  literature  came  high,  labor 
appears  to  have  been  held  on  a  low  scale  of.  wages, 
judging  from  the  amount  paid  the  janitor,  Miles,  for 
attendance.  "  PVjr  making  iires  and  sweeping,  two 
years,  1819-1820,  seventy-live  cents."  This  man  Miles 
appears  to  have  been  a  faithful  and  devoted  servant  of 
the  school.  His  name  occurs  regularly  in  the  reports 
as  janitor  until  the  year  1837,  and  his  wages  were 
advanced  from  time  to  time,  as  the  s(;hool  grew,  until 
he  was  paid  as  much  as  two  dollars  a  year. 

The  year  1826  was  a  notable  one  in  the  history  of 
the  school.  On  September  3d  it  assembled  in  the  new 
church,  which  had  just  been  entered  bv  the  conc^ret^a- 
tion.  The  school  was  reorganized  and  a  special  service 
was  held,  consisting  of  reading,  singing  and  addresses 
by  the  superintendent  and  Rev.  Eli  Smith,  and  a  dedi- 
catory prayer.  The  teachers  were:  Mrs.  Brown.  Mrs. 
Love,  Mrs.  Roberts,  Aliss  Gray  and  Aliss  Sproule. 
Among  the  names  of  scholars,  listed  by  classes,  are 
those  of  some  of  the  '*  mothers  of  the  church  "  :  Agnes 
Todd,  Jane  Davidson,  Maria  L.  Crittenden,  Fannie  Phil- 
lips, Mary  Jane  Todd,  Ann  Watson,  Margerite  White- 
head, Mary  Lee  Rennick,  Sarah  H.  Russell  and  others. 

In  1828  the  school  had  increased  to  eleven  classes. 
In  the  annual  report  of  the  superintendent  occur  the 
following  entries  :  "  In  consequence  of  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Sabbath-school  in  the  Baptist  Church,  eleven 


20S  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

of  our  scholars  have  withdrawn  to  enter  that  school, 
and  four  have  also  joined  the  Methodist  school.  Dur- 
ing tile  year  twenty  new  scholars  have  been  added  to 
our  school,  anl  a  boys'  department  has  been  organized 
during-  the  last  quarter  by  jndge  Mills.  The  children 
of  the  school  have  formed  theinselves  into  a  society  for 
aiding  in  the  education  of  the  poor  children  of  the  town, 
under  the  name  of  the  A-b-c-darian  Society,  and  it  has 
already  three  children  under  its  care." 

The  dues  in  this  Society  amounted  to  six  and  one- 
quarcer  cents  per  month,  and  each  subscriber  was 
required  to  earn  the  amount,  and  not  receive  it  as  a 
gift  from  parents  or  friends.  The  lady  to  whose 
school  the  children  were  sent  generously  ofifered  to 
take  another  scholar  free  for  every  one  sent  bv  the 
Society.  So  in  this  way  six  children  were  benefited 
who  might  have  otherwise  grown  up  in  ignorance. 

To  show  the  Christian  spirit  that  animated  the 
superintendent,  the  following  entry  in  her  diary  is  given 
here : 

"  I  desire  to  record  with  humble  gratitude  that  one 
of  the  scholars,  Josephine  A.  Gray,  has  solemnly  dedi- 
cated herself  to  the  Lord  by  uniting  with  the  Methodist 
Church.  Grant,  O  Lord,  that  glory  and  joy  may  be  her 
everlasting  portion." 

At  this  time  the  long-wished-for  library  was  secured. 
For  some  years,  l:)y  the  efforts  and  self-denial  of  the 
teachers  and  some  of  the  scholars,  a  fund  had  been 
slowly  accimiulating  for  this  purpose,  and  now  friends 
here  and  elsewhere  came  to  their  help,  some  donating 
books,  others  giving  money.  The  library  was  bought 
in  Philn(lel|)hia.  and  the  occasion  of  its  opening  was  one 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  2O9 

of  great  rejoicing.  After  leaving  out  old  and  injured 
books,  the  catalogue,  which  is  still  preserved,  written 
out  by  the  superintendent,  contained  four  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  volumes. 

>Special  services  were  held,  at  which  a  poem,  written 
for  the  occasion  by  Mrs.  Brown,  was  read.  The  first 
and  the  concluding  stanzas  are  here  quoted : 

"  Oh!  that  the  Power  that  reigns  above. 

And  governs  all  below. 
Would  on  this  little  work  of  love 

His  gracious  smile  bestow. 
And  send  his  Holy  Spirit  down. 
The  labors  of  our  hands  to  crown. 

"  And  these  so  loved — our  hope,  our  care, 

Our  grief  and  our  delight;  ' 
Our  theme  by  day,  our  earnest  prayer, 

Our  frequent  dream  by  night — 
Oh!  may  their  names  recorded  stand 

A-mongst  the  happy  few 
Who  yet  shall  feast  at  thy  right  hand 

On  pleasures  ever  new, 
And  scan  (all  earthly  love  above) 
The  mysteries  of  redeeming  love." 

The  total  number  of  verses  recited  during  the  year 
1828  was  80,691.  Books  and  rewards  distributed,  338. 
Number  of  scholars  on  the  roll,  79.  In  the  expendi- 
tures we  note  this  entry :  "  For  uniting  the  school  with 
the  American  Sunday-school  Union,  $3.00." 

In  1829  the  boys'  department,  which  had  hitherto 
met  at  a  dififerent  hour,  assembled  with  the  female 
school,  and  from  thenceforth  the  two  were  united  as 
one  school,  but  in  two  distinct  departments.  In  her 
report  for  this  year  the  superintendent  mentions  with 
gratitude  that  ten  of  her  teachers  had  united  with  the 
church.     She  mentions  also  "  that  Miss  Elizabeth  Birch 


2IO  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

had  recited  with  great  accuracy  during  the  year  6,974 
verses,  being  the  greatest  number  recited  by  any  scholar 
in  the  history  of  the  school  in  the  same  length  of  time. 
Thirty  scholars  have  left  the  school  during  the  year,  and 
thirty-eight  have  been  added.  Total  on  the  roll,  96. 
Three  of  the  teachers.  Miss  Phillips,  Miss  Taylor  and 
Miss  McCurdy,  have  married  during  the  year." 

In  183 1  Mrs.  Brown  gave  a  review  of  the  work  for 
the  five  years  since  its  reorganization  as  a  girls'  school. 
In  that  time  only  three  of  the  girls  had  died. 

Number  of  verses  recited  in  the  five  years.  .  342,500 

Number  recited  previous  to  that  time 200,000 

Total  .since  organization  in  1819 542,500 

Books  and  rewards  given  in  the  five  years. .       2,274 

Books  added  to  the  library 390 

Funds  collected  during  the  five  years $256  5c 

Amount  of  expenditures $246  12 

The  A-b-c-darian  Society  had  furnished  tuition  to  poor  chil- 
dren amounting  to  forty  quarters. 

As  a  considerable  number  of  scholars  had  removed 
from  the  town,  the  number  uniting  with  the  church 
could  not  be  accurately  given.  Several  had  joined  the 
Baptist  and  the  Methodist  Churches  of  this  place,  but 
the  greater  part  had  united  with  our  own  church. 
Number  of  teachers,  sixteen,  all  of  whom  were  now 
members  of  the  church. 

Special  mention  was  made  of  the  faithfulness  of  the 
teachers,  and  praise  for  punctuality  and  efificiency  was 
given  to  the  librarian,  Frances  Deaver,  who  had  been 
previously  for  nine  years  a  scholar,  and  had  in  that  time 
recited  over  twenty  thousand  verses  of  Scripture. 

From  the  concluding  sentences  of  the  report  we  are 
led  to  infer  that  there  were  some  in  tlie  community  who 


First  Superintendent  of  Sabbath-school. 


SAB13ATH-SCHOOLS.  213 

were  not  in  sympathy  with  the  work  as  conducted  by 
the  school.     She  writes  : 

"  The  common  saying  that  it  is  impossible  to  please 
everybody  holds  good  with  respect  to  the  Sabbath- 
school  as  well  as  in  less  important  matters.  While 
many  object  to  it  as  being  too  sectarian,  others  oppose 
it  npon  the  claim  that  it  is  not  sufficiently  so.  But 
recently  I  had  a  conversation  with  a  Christian  gentle- 
man, who  was  a  most  violent  opponent  of  the  whole 
system." 

To  the  report  was  appended  a  list  of  "  donations  not 
connected  with  the  regular  subscriptions  to  the  school." 

From  Dr.  Wilkerson,  7  loads  of  wood. 

From  Mr.  John  Brown,  4  hymn  books. 

From  Mr.  John  Brown.  Bible  Dictionary  (Morocco). 

From  Mr.  John  Brown,  Life  of  Christ. 

From  Mr.  Mason  Brown,  four  books  and  twelve  primers. 

From  Mr.  Mason  Brown,  "The  Ycunj?  Christian"  (Abbott). 

From  Mr.  John  H.  Hanna,  Works  of  Josephus,  (4  vols). 

From  Mr.  Page,  nineteen  Question  Books. 

From  Mr.  Kdmond  Taylor,  "The  Cabinet"  (15  vols.). 

From  Mr.  John  Vest,  "No  Fiction." 

From  Mrs.  Hodges,  "Dun-Allan." 

From  Miss  Mary  Jane  Todd.  "Religious  Events." 

From  Female  Tract  Society,  six  volumes  ot  tracts. 

From  Female  Bible  Society,  thirty  Bibles. 

From  Mrs.  Margaretta  Brown,  bookcase  and  sixty-one  vols. 

The  bovs'  department,  organized  and  conducted  by 
Judge  Mills,  was  after  his  death,  in  1831,  for  a  short  time 
under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Featherston.  It  had  decreased 
in  numbers,  and  consisted  of  a  single  class  of  small  boys. 
In  1834  Mr.  William  T^T.  Todd,  one  of  the  young  elders, 
then  in  his  twenty-fourth  year,  took  charge,  and  infused 
new  life  into  this  branch  of  the  school.     Securing  the 


214  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

active  support  of  other  gentlemen  of  the  congregation, 
he  soon  had  it  on  a  good  working  basis,  with  sixty  boys 
and  youth  in  ten  classes.  The  teachers  during  the  first 
year  were :  John  P.  Bruce,  John  M.  Thurston,  David 
Meriwether,  A.  G.  Hodges,  Samuel  Keane,  William  P. 
Morris,  N.  H.  White,  Hugh  Goodwin,  J.  T.  Mudge  and 
John  W.  Pruett. 

Among  the  subscribers  to  the  fund  to  buy  books  and 
other  helps  for  the  boys'  department  we  find  Rev.  D. 
Baker,  A.  C.  Keenon,  Dr.  L.  J.  Sharpe,  Jacob  Swigert, 
Colonel  James  Davidson,  John  J.  Vest,  Joseph  Clarke, 
A.  P.  Cox,  W.  P.  Loomas  and  J.  E.  Russell. 

The  teachers  of  the  girls'  department  in  1833-4  were: 
Mrs.  Love,  Mrs.  Eliza  Sharpe,  Miss  Phillips,  Miss  Birch, 
Miss  Scott,  Miss  Watson,  Mrs.  Mary  McQuiddy,  Miss 
Ellen  McQuiddy,  Miss  Betsey  Mills,  Mrs.  Mary  Lee, 
Miss  Foster  and  Miss  Russell,  with  Miss  Crittenden 
librarian. 

In  the  classes  we  find  the  names  of  a  number  of  girls 
who  grew  to  womanhood,  and  lived  to  adorn  the  society 
of  the  town :  Maria  L.  Crittenden,  Mary  Ellen  Vest, 
Maria  L.  Wingate,  Ann  Mary  Roberts,  Mary  Swigert, 
Ann  E.  Page,  Jane  Davidson,  Laura  Hensley,  Sarah 
H.  Russell,  Sarah  Rhodes,  Elizabeth  A.  Todd.  Harriet 
Russell.  Allison ia  Rennick,  Mary  Ellen  Cloudas,  Ann 
Mary  Belt,  Elizabeth  and  Catherine  Dryden,  Mary  Jane 
Todd,  Mary  Lucy  Mills,  Margerite  Whitehead  and 
Sarah  J.  Blootnfield.  Of  these,  twelve  or  thirteen  are 
yet  alive.  Several  of  them  were  in  1836-7  added  to  the 
teaching  force  of  the  school,  Mary  Jane  Todd,  Sarah 
H.  Russell,  Mary  Ellen  Vest  and  Miss  Crittenden,  with 
the    following    ladi(>s     from    the    congregation:     Miss 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  215 

Matilda  Dryden,  Mrs.  William  M.  Todd,  Mrs.  Orlando 
Brown  and  Mrs.  Samuel  D.  McCullough. 

Although  the  school  was  conducted  in  two  depart- 
ments, with  separate  record  books  and  officers,  the 
whole  was  under  the  supervising  care  of  Mrs.  Brown, 
and  so  continued  until  her  death.  An  impression  is 
current  that  she  gave  up  the  office  some  time  prior  to 
that  event,  l)ut  the  contrary  is  clearly  shown  to  be 
the  case.  Her  account  book  of  receipts  of  funds  and 
expenditures,  also  her  diary  of  incidents  transpiring  in 
the  school,  both  kept  in  her  handwriting,  show  conclu- 
sively that  she  was  in  active  charge  until  her  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  28th  of  May,  1838.  The  books 
for  each  previous  year,  including  1837^  were  duly  bal- 
anced, but  1838  was  closed  in  the  fifth  month  by  her 
death,  the  last  entry  made  being  on  the  eleventh  day. 
This  system  of  book-keeping  and  detailed  account  of 
the  history  and  transactions  of  the  school  ceased  with 
Mrs.  Brown's  administration.  Some  of  her  methods, 
however,  were  adhered  to  by  her  successors  in  office, 
by  whom  she  was  held  in  great  respect  and  veneration. 

After  Mrs.  Brown's  death,  her  most  intimate  friend 
and  co-worker,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Love,  who  had  been 
associated  with  her  from  the  beginning  of  the  work, 
was  chosen  by  the  teachers  of  the  female  department  to 
take  charge  of  it,  while  Mr.  William  M.  Todd  assumed 
control  of  the  whole  school.  And  to  it  he  gave  the  best 
service  and  energies  of  his  life  for  eighteen  years.  His 
devotion  to  its  interests  and  his  great  success  in  the 
management  of  its  afifairs,  his  affectionate  solicitude  tor 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  each  and  every  member  of  the 
school,  his  godlv  and  consistent  life,  endeared  him  to 


2l6  HISTORY    OF   FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

the  scholars  and  to  all  who  were  associated  with  him  in 
the  work. 

x\mong  the  boys  of  the  decade  1837-1847  were  some 
who  attained  positions  of  honor  and  distinction  in  after 
life,  some  in  the  church,  some  in  State,  and  some  in  the 
service  of  the  country.  Four  became  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  Thornton  Mills,  Eli  Smith,  Jr., 
Ben  Mills  and  William  O.  Goodloe.  Others  became 
office-bearers  in  the  church,  Edwin  Samuel,  Samuel  Bull, 
John  Crittenden  Watson,  Will  Sneed,  Will  Reading  and 
Howe  Watson ;  while  others  attained  eminence  in  the 
profession  of  law,  B.  Gratz  Brown,  George  Vest,  John 
M.  Harlan,  John  Mason  Brown,  James  Harlan  and  Dan 
Lindsey.  One  of  these  is  now  an  Associate  Justice  in 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  another  has 
been  a  distinguished  United  States  Senator  for  many 
years  from  jMissouri,  while  another  is  an  Admiral  in  the 
United  States  Navy. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Love  died  in  1846,  and  there  was  no 
successor  to  the  office  of  superintendent  of  the  female 
department,  both  branches  being  merged  in  one,  under 
Mr.  William  Todd  as  superintendent  of  the  whole. 

Upon  resigning  the  office  in  1852,  when  removing 
from  Frankfort,  he.  delivered  a  farewell  address  to  the 
school,  full  of  tenderness  and  solicitude,  which  showed 
the  spirit  and  devotion  which  characterized  his  admin- 
istration. 

Air.  John  B.  Temple  was  chosen  by  the  teachers  to 
succeed  Mr.  Todd,  and  he  took  up  the  work  with  great 
zeal,  and  gave  it  his  unremitting  care  for  about  seven- 
teen vears.  In  connection  with  his  other  duties  in  the 
school,  he  organized  and  conducted  a  large  Bible  class, 
which  was  a  source  of  great  blessing  to  all  its  members. 


{lAT:!  Aiv.     i/^ 


f/h^ .       i/^  pCjc<_^' 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  2I9 

In  a  letter  to  the  session,  written  after  his  removal  to 
Louisville,  he  writes  : 

"  The  welfare  of  the  church  has  been  very  near  to 
my  heart,  and  I  have  loved  its  membership,  and  espe- 
cially its  Sabbath-school  children,  with  a  sincere  and 
abiding  affection,  watching  their  career  with  tender 
solicitude.  I  am  devoutly  thankful  that  so  many  of 
them  whom  I  have  personally  taught  the  things  which 
make  for  their  eternal  welfare,  have  become  shining 
lights  in  the  church." 

After  iNIr.  Temple's  resignation  and  removal  to 
Louisville,  Mr.  John  M.  Harlan  for  about  a  year  was 
superintendent,  prior  to  his  removal  also  to  that  city. 
He  was  one  of  the  boys  of  the  school,  and  growing 
up  with  it,  under  its  influence  and  teachings,  it  was 
fitting  that  he  should  be  honored  with  the  ofifice  of 
superintendent. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  S.  C.  Bull,  the  present 
incumbent,  who  has  now  for  a  period  of  over  thirty 
years  given  the  school  the  faithful  and  loving  service 
of  his  lieart.  hand  and  voice,  and  that  his  life  may 
be  spared  to  continue  this  work  for  many  years  to 
come  is  the  earnest  v>'ish  and  prayer  of  the  church  and 
school.  During  Mr.  Bull's  term  the  music  has  always 
been  a  leading  feature  in  the  exercises  of  the  school. 
He  being  an  accomplished  singer  and  leader,  the  service 
of  song  under  his  direction  has  been  maintained  to  a 
high  standard  of  excellence.  It  is  a  matter  worthy  of 
note  that  during  the  life  of  this  school,  extending  over 
the  greater  part  of  the  century,  practically  but  four 
superintendents    have    been    in    charge :     Mrs.    Brown, 


2  20  HISTORY   OF    FIRST   CHURCH,    FR,-\NKFORT. 

twenty  years ;  Mr.  Todd,  eighteen  years  ;  Mr.  Temple, 
fifteen  ;  Mr.  Harlan,  one,  and  Mr.  Bull,  thirty-two  years. 
The  following  boys,  who  were  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
time  members  of  the  school,  entered  the  ministry  of 
onr  Church :  Thornton  A.  Mills,  Benjamin  Mills,  EH 
Smith,  Jr.,  William  O.  Goodloe,  Joseph  T.  Leonard, 
Wilham  L.  McEwan,  Edward  H.  Bull  and  Thomas  P. 
Grant. 


SUPERINTENDENTS. 
MRS.    MARGARETTA    BROWN. 

Mrs.  Margaretta  Mason  Brown  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  November,  1772.  Her  father,  Rev.  John 
Mason,  D.D.,  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister  of  that 
city,  came  to  America  from  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in 
1 761,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  mental  acquirements  and  force  of  character,  and 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church  in  his  day. 

His  son.  Rev.  John  M.  Mason,  D.D.,  also  attained 
an  eminent  position  in  the  Church,  and  inherited,  with 
his  sister,  from  their  illustrious  father  that  strength 
of  mind  and  character  that  was  destined  to  make  such 
an  impress  for  good  upon  the  succeeding  generations. 
Margaretta  Mason  was  reared  in  a  religious  atmosphere. 
She  was  educated  and  trained  by  Mrs.  Isabella  Grahame, 
the  most  noted  and  gifted  educator  in  the  city  at  that 
period,  whose  deep  piety  and  religious  character  were 
impressed  upon  her  pupils.  In  February,  1799,  Miss 
Mason  married  the  Hon.  John  Brown,  of  Virginia,  and 
one  vear  later  removed  with  him  to  Frankfort,  then  a 
town   of  a   few   hundred   inhabitants,   thus   leaving  the 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  221 

advantages  and  attractions  of  the  East  for  a  sphere  in 
the  new,  untried  West. 

At  that  period  there  was  no  church,  nor  indeed  any 
rehgious  organization  whatever,  in  the  town.  Mrs. 
Brown,  being  accustomed  from  childhood  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  Word  and  the  society  of  Christian  people, 
felt  severely  the  deprivations  of  her  new  home,  and  at 
once  sought  to  remedy  as  far  as  she  was  able  the  exist- 
ing conditions.  Being  a  woman  of  great  energy  and 
fertility  of  resource,  as  well  as  a  devout  and  consecrated 
Christian,  she  opened  her  house  to,  and  sought  the  pres- 
ence of  all  the  gospel  ministers  who  visited  the  place, 
and  her  home  became  speedily  known  as  the  "  Preach- 
ers' Hotel."  Religious  services  were  held  as  often  as 
possible,  no  minister  being  allowed  to  pass  through  the 
town  without  having  an  opportunity  to  preach.  These 
services  were  held  either  in  her  home  or  at  the  Love 
House,  near  by,  whose  mistress,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Love, 
was  a  cordial  co-worker  with  her  in  promoting  these 
services.  But  Mrs.  Brown's  greatest  work,  and  that 
which  has  enshrined  her  name  in  the  hearts  of  all  Chris- 
tian people  of  this  community,  to  be  held  in  grateful 
remembrance,  was  her  work  in  establishing  and  main- 
taining up  to  the  time  of  her  death  the  Sabbath-school 
of  our  church.  The  benefits  of  her  labor  of  love  for  the 
Master  were  by  no  means  confined  to  her  own  church, 
and  she  often  rejoiced  in  seeing  her  scholars  unite  with 
the  other  churches  of  the  town.  Of  her  work,  some 
account  has  been  given  in  the  foregoing  pages.  Much 
more  might  well  be  written  of  her  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  the  school,  in  overcoming  the 
difficulties  which  beset  her  in  providing  the  necessary 
helps  for  the  scholars,  and  her  painstaking  training  of 


222  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FR.\NKF0RT. 

the  teachers.  She  has  l)een  justly  termed  "  The  Pioneer 
Sunday-school  Superintendent  of  the  West,''  for  hers 
was  the  second  school  organized  west  of  the  Alleghe- 
nies,  the  first  one  having  been  formed  one  year  earlier 
(1809)  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg. 

WILLIAM  MONTAGUE  TODD. 

William  Montague  Todd,  the  second  in  the  line  of 
Sabbath-school  superintendents,  was  born  March  30th', 
181 1.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  a  practical  printer, 
and  wrought  with  Albert  G.  Hodges,  his  brother-in-law, 
who  was  for  many  years  Public  Printer  to  the  State. 
This  occupation  Mr.  Todd  relinquished  to  engage  in 
merchandising,  and  conducted  successfully  for  many 
years  an  establishment  known  far  and  near  as  Todd's 
Bookstore.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  united  with  this 
church,  and  two  years  later  was  made  a  deacon,  in  which 
office  he  served  the  church  four  years,  when  he  was 
ordained  ruling  elder,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  At 
this  time  he  took  charge  of  the  boys'  department  of  the 
Sabbath-school,  consisting  of  a  single  class  of  small 
boys.  By  his  zeal  and  energy,  in  the  course  of  a  year 
he  increased  this  to  about  sixty  boys  and  youth,  with 
ten  teachers.  Four  years  later,  upon  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Margaretta  PJrown,  in  1838,  he  took  full  charge  of  the 
school  as  superintendent,  which  position  he  filled  with 
eminent  ability  and  faithfulness  until  his  removal  from 
Frankfort,  in  1852.  fn  this  work  he  was  intensely  in 
earnes*:,  making  the  school  his  chief  and  constant  care. 
In  a  parting  address,  made  to  the  school  upon  the  eve 
of  his  departure,  full  of  tenderness  and  solicitude,  among 
other  facts  he  states  that  when  a  visitor  in  other  cities 
he  never  failed  to  visit  all  the  schools  within  his  reach. 


/^/i  Je^^L^^i/jL. 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  225 

in  order  to  obtain  new  ideas  and  methods  for  conducting 
his  own  school.  He  had  a  great  hold  upon  the  children 
of  the  town  as  well  as  upon  those  of  our  own  church, 
and  was  a  model  Sunday-school  superintendent. 

In  1852  he  removed  to  Jessamine  County,  but  in  1856 
again  returned  to  Frankfort,  remaining  here  until  1859, 
when  he  located  near  Versailles,  Kentucky,  where  he 
died  in  1865. 

JOHN.  B.   TEMPLE. 

Mr.  John  B.  Temple,  who  succeeded  Mr.  Todd  in 
ofhce  as  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath-school,  was  born 
in  Logan  County,  at  his  father's  place.  Federal  Grove, 
December  31st,  t8i6.  He  received  a  Uberal  education 
and  prepared  for  the  practice  of  law,  but  did  not  engage 
in  the  practice  of  that  profession.  He  came  to  Frank- 
fort in  1850  to  take  charge  as  cashier  of  the  recently 
organized  Farmers'  Bank.  He  served  the  State  with 
ability  during  the  early  years  of  the  Civil  War  as  Presi- 
dent of  the  MiUtary  Board,  which  practically  had  charge 
of  the  State's  affairs  during  that  unsettled  period. 

Mr.  Temple  removed  in  1868  to  Louisville,  to  take 
the  presidency  of  the  Kentucky  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  of  that  city,  which  position  he  filled  with  dis- 
tinguished ability  until  his  death,  in  1886.  For  a  fuller 
account  of  his  services  in  our  church  and  Sabbath- 
school  see  another  chapter. 

JOHN    MARSHALL   H.\RLAN. 

John  T^Iarshall  Harlan,  who  was  superintendent  of 
this  school  for  a  time  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Temple, 
was  born  in  Boyle  County,  near  Danville,  Kentucky, 
in  1833. 


226  HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

Shortly  after  that  date  his  father,  Hon.  James 
Harlan,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of  the 
Kentucky  bar,  removed  to  Frankfort  with  his  family, 
and  made  it  their  future  home.  John's  name  first 
appears  on  the  roll  of  the  Sabbath-school  in  1841,  along 
with  those  of  his  brothers,  Henry  Clay  and  James.  He 
received  his  preliminary  education  at  the  famous  school 
of  B.  B.  Sayre,  of  Frankfort,  one  of  the  most  successful 
teachers  of  his  day  in  the  vState,  who  fitted  his  pupils 
to  take  a  high  standing  in  the  best  colleges.  Gradu- 
ating from  Centre  College,  Mr.  Harlan  entered  Transyl- 
vania University  Law  School,  under  the  distinguished 
professors,  Judge  George  Robertson,  Thomas  A.  Mar- 
shall and  Madison  C.  Johnson.  After  licensure  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Frankfort  about  eight  years,  during  which 
time  he  served  the  State  as  Adjutant  General,  and 
Franklin  County  as  Judge  of  the  County  Court.  About 
the  year  1861  he  removed  to  Louisville  for  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  but  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War  found 
him  in  command  of  the  Tenth  Regiment  of  Kentucky 
Volunteer  Infantry,  LTnited  States  Army,  which  he  had 
enlisted  for  the  service. 

He  served  the  State  as  Attorney  General  for  four 
years,  1863-1867,  during  which  term  he  again  resided 
in  Frankfort,  and  at  the  expiration  of  which  he  again 
located  in  Louisville.  In  1871  he  was  the  Republican 
candidate  for  Governor,  and  in  1877  was  one  of  the 
United  vStates  Commission  sent  by  President  Hayes  to 
Louisiana.  In  November,  1877,  he  was  appointed  and 
confirmed  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  LTnited  States,  and  took  his  seat  December  loth 
following. 


SABBATH-SCHOOLS.  229 

SAMUEL   C.    BULL. 

Samuel  C.  Bull,  superintendent  of  the  school  since 
the  year  1867,  was  born  in  Simpsonville,  Shelby  County, 
Kentucky,  September  5th,  1834.  He  was  the  only  son 
of  Corban  Bull  and  Lydia  Metcalfe,  his  wife,  whom  he 
left  a  widow  four  months  after  the  birth  of  their  son. 
Samuel  was  brought  up  on  the  Metcalfe  farm,  receiving 
his  schooling  near  by,  from  a  country  school,  working 
on  the  farm  in  summer  and  attending  school  in  the 
winter.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  found  it  necessary  to 
leave  home,  and  entered  the  establishment  of  his  kins- 
man. Dr.  John  Bull,  in  Louisville,  where  he  remained  a 
short  time,  and  then  came  to  Frankfort.  Upon  arrival 
here,  in  1849,-  he  entered  the  bookstore  of  William  M. 
Todd,  with  whom  he  remained  imtil  the  store  was  sold 
in  1852,  when  he  returned  to  Louisville,  entering  the 
noted  establishment  of  Morton  &  Griswold,  the  only 
publishers  of  school  books  at  that  time  in  Kentucky. 
In  1857  ]\Ir.  Bull  returned  to  Frankfort,  and  again 
entered  the  bookstore  of  Mr.  Todd,  who  had  bought  it 
back  upon  his  return  from  the  country.  In  January, 
1859,  ^ir-  ^''-il^  succeeded  Mr.  Todd  in  the  business,  and 
continued  it  until  1873,  when  he  entered  the  milling 
business.  In  1878  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  this 
enterprise,  and  for  several  years  traveled  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  Eastern  manufacturers.  In  1884  he  entered 
the  establishment  of  R.  K.  McClure  &  Bro.,  of  this  city, 
and  remains  in  the  employ  of  that  house  to  this  date. 


230  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

LEESTOWN    MISSION    SCHOOL. 

This  school  was  organized  by  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  year  1878,  in  the  old  Lees- 
town  schoolhonse,  about  a  mile  below  Frankfort.  For 
about  two  years  the  school  was  conducted  in  this  build- 
ing, until  the  present  chapel  was  erected.  The  attend- 
ance has  from  tlie  beginning  been  good,  and  the  work 
encouraging.  The  community  has  experienced  in  a 
marked  degree  the  beneficial  results  of  the  mission, 
which  has  been  to  it  a  blessing  temporally  as  well  as 
spiritually.  The  teachers  have  been  very  faithful  and 
self-denying  in  their  labors,  in  the  heat  of  summer  and 
the  cold  of  winter.  Preaching  has  been  also  maintained, 
and  special  services  by  the  pastor  of  this  church,  and 
during  several  summer  seasons  by  theological  students. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  mission  school  about  one 
hundred  persons  have  been  through  it  added  to  the  First 
Church.  The  work  is  still  carried  on  mostly  by  the 
members  of  this  church,  who  have  had  it  in  charge  from 
its  beginning.  Mr.  R.  K.  McClure  has  been  in  charge 
as  superintendent  and  principal  promoter  and  manager, 
ably  assisted  by  Mr.  Frank  Chinn  and  Miss  Mary  Page. 
The  teachers  at  the  present  time  (April,  1901)  are: 
R.  K.  McClure,  Frank  Chinn,  Miss  Mary  Page,  Miss 
Rebecca  Averill.  Miss  Bessie  Blanton,  Miss  Harriet 
McClure,  Miss  Cordelia  Bull  and  Miss  Virginia  Chinn. 
This  mission  is  a  noble  work,  and  well  deserves  the 
active  sympathy  and  support  of  our  congregation. 


Ruling  Elder  and  Superintendent  of  Sabbath-school. 


CHAPTER    VI. 


STATISTICS 


Compiled  from  the  Minutes  and  other  Official  Papers. 


Miscellaneous 

O  O  0  o  o  o 

o  o  o  o  o  o 

lOCO    lOCO  CO    01 

w    „    >-    ^    rO  -^ 

8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8 

O   iO\0    MiOOOiOOOiOO 

Congregational. 

oooooooooooooooooo 
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0  loioo  o  0  o  o  o  loioior^iocNoo  loc^ 
>n  r^  r^oo  vo^oct^^h^O'*P^-'"SO(NOO 

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tV)(\lM,_MrtMl_|                           MM 

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:  :  :  :  : 



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234  HISTORY   OF    FIRST    CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 


Miscellaneous 


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O    CS    (N    (N    ro  ^vT)  \D   -^  Ttv£)    m    OCO^CO   '^^   t~- 


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ro    •    O  ^CO  CO  CO    O   "   OM^  OncO   0)   (N  vo     •    a>  -* 

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Education. 


«» 

Foreign 
Missions  .... 

8888888888888888888 

0    ro  —  ^   "^O   t^O>CS    r^^    w    cr>  t^  lOvO   uo  m   P) 

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t^\0  vc  ^  lo^o  CO  !~o  IN  to  ^  mco  r^  t^  t^  t^  t^  t~^ 

■A 

p 

Adults 

^O      -PiMMvO          —    ^—    (N    rO^    CS    ■-.    .^  lO  r^ 

CQ 

Infants  

(N    M   r^':^0^^0^^^<N    0    "^   ^^O    ►-  00   r--^   -^ 

Whole  Number 

OcOrOOOH-CNnOMOOOCOiOOvDOOO 
—  O  O  r-.vO  OOO  0>rOtr)iOrOro-*-^rO^  "  O 
0«„mm(N-.-hM<N<N(NCS(SP)P)0)OI(N 

c 
o 

Certificate  . 

rO(NrOrOtNi-'"iO««       •t^tNrOtS"          mio 

•5 

5 

Examinat'n 

rOO    "OrO-^OMO(NaOCO    O    •-    rOON'*  lO^O    O^  •^ 

\£5    r^CO    O  O    "    CN    rO  '^  >OvO    t-^CC^    O  O    ►-    tN    ro  "^ 
lO  lO  uo  lO^D  »,0vOv0m3^0^^v£>v£)   t^t^  t^CO   I^ 

COCOCO'COCOCOCO'CO'COCOCOCOCOaDCOCOCOCOCO 


Miscellaneous  . . 

8  -88888  -88888888888 

lO       \0    ro  t^  O   t^        t^^    OCO    "VO    0^^    rOt-^CS 
•    O         ON  O    "  CC   -^       C/D   TtvO    O  VO  VD   rO  (S    (S   rj-vD 

1    ^ 

Congregational. 

8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8  8 

lO  0    r^  lO  lO  lO  O  ^nO    lO  CS    rO  rO  Cn  rO^D  VO  CO    ON  Tf 
•*  3    -^  fS    rO  CM^CO    ON  "*  M    O    ro  ^^nO^  "^  "^  "^  ^„  ^„  "^ 
(N~  CN~  tN    (n'  oT  oT  -T  -'"  -^  rO  lO  rO  rO  rO  ro  rO  rO  fO  rO  rO 

Gen.  Assembly 
Fund 

8  88888883-888388888  88 

lONO  vO   ^O   t^r^I^t^iO  t^^O   r-^  O    ro  rO  lO  t^vO    0^ 

Bible  Society. .. 

'^ 

oooooooooooooooo 

•  -oooooooooooooooo 

r^  0  T)  lo  lo  iond   0"0(NiMtN<r-^T;cO'-i 

•  ■    UOIOCS    lO-^POrO'^  rONO    UO  VO  i-<  NO  NO  NO 

Aid  for  Colleges 

..:■;..:     8  8  8  8  §  s  8  8  8 

^ 

^     CS     CO--     r-l      CS     ^     HH 

Synodical  Aid.. 

«.     - 

.888  .3388888888888 

Ot^iO     ■•^rOONONrOtNOrO^'OiOOM 
.    1-1                             (-ONO    rO  rO  rO  rO  '^  f^  -^nO  CO   t^ 

Freedmen   . .  . 

3  3  8  8  8  8  8     8  8  8  8  S  8  8  8  8  S  8  8 

ON^O    OOiOUOiO        iO'*U0"Mi-'0iO0'-i   -^GO 
eft 

Relief  Fund 

0 
5 

OO    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
0    0    0000    0    000=^0000000 

lox  uoococooOMt^oshHTtMCMO'^io 

i-irOf.^CM"         rOr0.^lO'^i'1■  t^NO  NO    ONCO  CO 

Church 
Erection  . 

888833     8888388888888 

S.  S.  Work 

oooooo        -    ■      oooooooooo 
oooooo    ■    ■    ■       oooooooooo 

ON  ro  f^CO  COON           •      •         t^O-*<N)vDOOMO"ON 
w    hH           n           „      .      .       .       .    rO  ^  r^CO    ro  •*  rOCO    M    "0 

Education 

OOOOOOOO      •          300    0    000000 
OOOOOOOO      •      'OOOOOOOOOO 

CO    M   rO  t^ND  nO-^cs      ■          (NroOOONDOiOuM 
tN    w   1-1                      rf   w      .      .   roNO   t^ND  CO   ■*  lO^O  l^NO 

"Sfe-                                                                                                              M      H-      M      M 

Foreign 
Missions 

88888888883388883388 

lO  O    «    rO  rO  ID  lOCO  ^O    ^NO    -    0    ID  (N    lO  lOX    M    O 

rO"    CN    O    rOONOOO    ^    "OnO  NO    l^  '^  0    "0  -^X    —    l^ 

Home  Missions. 

0    0    0    O   O   O    0   O    0    0    0    0    0    O   O    0    o    o   o   o 
CO  ■-  r^Ti-<N  0  0  "NO  M  r^c^-rf^vo^  iond  pj  »^ 

t^M    TfONONCN    rO0>^^^-CO    tN    -    ON-H    (N    liO'^ 

S.  S.  Members,  j 

lOlOlOlOlOlOO    lO»O0     0    ONIOVOI^—    0    •—    rOO 
t^Ol(N(N(N|tNU0(NMrOt^0ONrftNNO    ^tCO    rO  CN 
"N0)0)M01(NNCNl(NICNrOM(NMtStN|r)CMcO 

B 

4-1 
O. 

QQ 

Adults 

r^lOrOlOCNM       .           CSONONrOlO'*  ONCO  CO    lO  ON  0) 

Infants. 

•*  lO  t^  O  00    rONO    lO  "    >OC0    rO  O    roCO    O    O    -*  ON  ON 

Whole  Number. 

lOQOiO^ONOOOOOOOO-^^tSvONOON- 
t^O  <N)  ^(  loio^-*  -^no  CO  m  <n)  rD  ^no  lo  r^co  oo 

►-iMtNMtSCSOIOlMMtMrOrOrOrOrOrOrOrO'* 

t/5 

c 

< 

Certificate  . 

■•^1-'   ^nO    m    lO  rOCO  no    N   M   t:!- I-.    CS    0  no    rO  ro  f^X 

Examinat'ri 

fNM^H          ID         rO'-          T}-rOi-'>-ir>li-rOi-'i-ii-iCTN 

LOnO    t^CO    On  O    "    CN    rO  -t-  iOnO    I^CO    On  0    "    <N    rO  •* 

t^  t^  t^  t^  r^CO  COCOXCOCCCOCOCOCO    OnOnOnOnOn 
CCCOCOX'COCOCOCCCOC/DCCCOCOCOCOOCOCCOCCCO 

Miscellaneous  •  • 

O    O   O    O    0    o 

0  o  o  o  o  o 

0    —    M  CO    t^  <~0 

5  ^  ■" 

Congregational. 

8888381 

Tf  r<0  On  C>  0__  rO 

Gen.  Assembly 
Fund 

888888 

C     <N    t--  rl-  rj-  '^ 

uovo    lo  lO  rO  fO 

Bible  Society... 

888888 

O    >-  00    u->  ro  rO 
VO  VD   uo  -^  ■*  Tf 

Aid  for  Colleges 

8  8  8888 

tN     0     <N     3    -     0 

io\£)  "^  m  o^  -+ 

M                         - 

Synodical  Aid   . 

O    O    O    0    O    O 

o  o  o  o  o  o 
•O  o  o  o  o  o 

"0  O  CO   0    0   o 
UO  Ol    tN    01    01    CN 

Freedmen   

0    O    O    0    0    o 

<D  lo  <r)  oj  —  0 

^  Tt  ro  rO  rO  fO 

Relief  Fund  . . 

888888 

t^  lovo  ^  lo  ^ 

Church 
Erection 

8  8  8  8  8  8 

0  r^  0  —  0)  « 
\Ci   ^  uo  lO  ^  ro 

S.  S.  Work.... 

888888 

UO  rO  O^  CT^  roco 
O)    H-.    ro  O)    0<    1-^ 

Education 

8  8888-8 

lO  ro  u->  O    0)    Ol 

^  r^Tj-  ON'*  ON 

n    O)    Ol  'It,^ 

Foreign 

Missions 

8  8  8  8  8  8 

01    I~-  ro  O  X    0 

vo  lo  o>^  lo  01 

-^                 ^       „       H.       „ 

Home  Missions. 

8  8  8  8  8  8 

'^  rO\0  ^  ^  VO 
O  vO    ro  ^3-  VO  01 
ro  in  Ol    -    -    - 
1    ^ 

S.  S.  Members. 

1     H-   r^  rOvO   'I-  o> 

1      lO  •*  ■*   Ol     ON  ON 
1     01    Ol    ro  rO  Ol    01 

D. 

Adults  .... 

►-  CO    01    01    —    lO 

Infants 

1    X  VO   ^CO    ONGO 

1    "  "  "  "       "" 

Whole  Number. 

1     rO  01    01  vO    lOvO 
1    CO    ON  O-.vO  VO   ^ 

1   '*•*-*  ^  ^  '^ 

c 

T3 
< 

Certificate.. 

1     -  CO   t^  ro  '^CO 
1                      " 

Examinat'n 

1     ON  01    0    0    ro  O 

lOvO   I^CO    ON  0 
ON  ON  ON  t^  On  0 
X  CO  CO  CO  Xi    ON 

238  HISTORY    OP   FIRST    CHURCH,    FR.\NKFORT. 


RECAPITULATION. 


Additions   on    Examination 1,237 

Additions  on  Certificate 324 

Infant    Baptisms 859 

Adult  Baptisms yj-j 

Funds  contributed  to — 

Home    Missions $13,906  00 

Foreign  Missions 7,50i  00 

Education    6,726  00 

Publication   and    S.   S.    Work...     10,372  00 

Church    Erection 1,217  00 

Ministerial  Relief  Fund 2,396  00 

Freedmen    723  00 

Synodical  Missions   2,268  00 

Aid  to  Colleges 4,304  00 

Bible    Society 2,17600 

General  Assembly 1,802  00 

Congregational    Expenses 187,19800 

Miscellaneous    Benevolence 27,02600 

Total  for  all  purposes $267,411  00 


GENERAL,    SUMMARY. 


^39 


STATEMENT    OF    FUNDS    SENT    TO    SOUTH- 
ERN   GENERAL   ASSEMBLY. 


Year. 

c 
3 
n 

0' 

D 

0 
ri 
Cfq' 

t/l 
o' 

3 
(/. 

y 

5' 
3 

Church  Extension 

3" 
< 

El 

C 
3 
CL 

m 

S- 

5' 

3 

s. 

3 

3 

1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 

1893 
1S94 

1895 
1896 
1897. 
1898. 
1899. 
1900 

$47  00 
60  32 

59  00 
67  82 

49  33 
64  76 
59  00 
79  62 
87  18 
72  40 
89  00 
loi  37 
91  17 
36  05 
45  00 
36  25 
42  02 
35  52 

$38  00 
36  92 
52  00 
51  00 
5848 

45  28 
34  30 
49  60 

46  92 

47  63 
56  50 
56  00 
60  00 
40  25 

40  00 
58  00 
42  75 

41  40 

«i6  95 
18  72 
18  50 
20  55 
17  35 

17  18 

18  00 

20  09 
1847 
26  00 

35  45 
32  63 
25  30 

25  00 

26  00 
22  00 

21  05 

$17  50 

12  05 

17  50 
22  97 

19  05 

14  80 

13  00 

22  10 

17  10 
30  00 
34  00 
33   55 
30  00 

23  50 
25  00 

18  00 
21  00 

15  32 

$20  48 
15   10 
20  50 
27  50 

3*  70 
20  83 
37  20 
30  47 
30  93 
45  00 
42  00 
42  57 
37  50 
25  00 
30  00 
22  50 
25  50 
20  00 

$16  00 
12  00 

16  00 
47  10 
20  20 

17  90 

22  55 

23  43 

24  22 
30  00 
35  58 
30  60 

27  55 
26  85 

25  00 

20  00 

21  00 
21  00 

5?i7  35 

7  20 

17  50 

15  25 

16  47 

17  18 

15  17 
17  63 

14  97 
25  35 

27  25 

28  75 
23  00 
22  50 

16  50 
16  00 

15  46 
15  00 

$1,122  81  $865  03 

5^379  15 

$386  44 

$524  78 

$46 

.38 

$328  53 

RECA  PITULATION. 

Home    Missions $1,122  81 

Foreign   Missions 86503 

Publication    370  j. 

Church    Erection 386  ^ 

Ministerial   Relief 524  78 

Education    46138 

Freedmen    028  53 

$4,068  12 


240  HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


OFFICERvS   OF  THE   CHURCH   FROM   ITS 
ORGANIZATION. 


PASTORS  AND   SUPPLIES. 

Rev.  Eli  Smith Pastor,  1817  to  1827 

Rev.  John  T.  Edgar.  D.D Pastor,  1827  to  1833 

Rev.   Daniel  Baker,   D.D Pastor,  183410  1836 

Rev.  Joseph  J.  Bullock,  D.D Pastor,  1837  to  1846 

Rev.   Stuart  Robinson,   D.D Pastor,  1847  to  1853 

Rev.   John   R.    Hendrick Supply,  1853 

Rev.  J.  P.  Safford,  D.D Pastor,  185S  to  1857 

Rev.  Joseph  J.  Bullock,  D.D Supply,  1858 

Rev.   B.  T.   Lacy,   D.D Pastor,  1858  to  1862 

Rev.  John  S.  Hays,  D.D Pastor,  1862  to  1867 

Rev.  J.  McClusky  Blayney,  D.D.. Supply,  1867  to  1869 

Rev.   Leroy  J.    Halsey.   D.D Supply,  1869 

Rev.  John  H.  Neshitt Pastor,  1870  to  1876 

Rev.  J.  W.   Pugh,  D.D Pastor,  1877  to  1883 

Rev.  J.  McClusky  Blayney.  D.D.  .Pastor,  1884  to  date. 


RULING    ELDERS. 

Thomas    Paxton Installed  1816,  served  12  years 

James   J.    Miles Installed  1816,  served  14  years 

John  M.  Foster Installed  1816,  served    4  years 

David   C.   Humphreys.  .  .Installed  1825.  served     3  years 

William   Boyd Installed  1825,  served     3  years 

Robert  Hamilton Installed  1825,  served    3  years 

Robert   Brown Installed  1827,  served    6  years 

Benjamin    Mills Installed  1828,  served    3  years 

Jervis    Russell Installed  1828.  served  12  years 

Luke   Munsell Installed  1828,  served    4  years 

John    Brown Installed  1832.  served     5  years 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


241 


William  AT.  Todd fnstalled   1834,  served  18  years 

Joseph   Clarke Installed  1834,  served  41  years 

Benjamin   Monroe Installed  1841,  served  19  years 

William  J.  Phillips Installed  1841,  served  19  years 

Zepheniah  Williams Installed  1841,  served  14  years 

Asa  Farrar Installed  1846,  served     7  years 

Richard  Knott Installed  1852,  served    2  years 

John   B.   Temple Installed  1852,  served  19  years 

Thomas  S.  Page Installed  1856,  served     8  years 

Samuel  C.  Bull Installed  1863,  served  38  years 

Hugh    Allen Installed  1866,  served    8  years 

William    II.    Averill Installed  1866,  served  35  years 

E.  h.  Sanjuel Installed  1875,  served  26  years 

Daniel  R.  Jones Installed  1875,  served    8  years 

George  A.   Robertson. .  .Installed  1877,  served  16  years 

R.   K.    McClure Installed  1877,  served  24  years 

Frank.  Chinn Installed  1877,  served  24  years 

William  T.   Reading Installed  i877,_  served  24  years 

Peter   Rule Installed  1890.  served     2  years 


CLERKS   OF    SESSION. 

David   C.    Humphreys Served  1825  to  1828 

Dr.  Luke  Mnnsell Served  1828  to  1833 

Thornton  A.  Mills Served  1833  to  1835 

V/illiam  M.   Todd .Served  1835  to  1852 

Judge   B.   Monroe Served  1852  to  i860 

Thomas  S.  Page Served  i860  to  1863 

John  B.  Temple Served  1863  to  1867 

William  H.   Averill Served  1867  to  1901 


SABBATH-SCHOOL   SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Mrs.   Margaretta  Brow^n 1819  to  1838 

Mr.  William  M.  Todd 1838  to  1852 

Mr.  John  B.  Temple 1852  to  1866 

Mr.  John  M.  Harlan 1866  to  1867 

Mr.  S.  C.  Bull 1867  to  1901 

R.  K.  A'IcClure.  Supt.  Leestown  Mission. ..  1878  to  1901 


242  HISTORY    OF   FIRST   CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 


DEACONS. 

Austin  P.  Cox Insta 

John    Swingle.... Insta 

George  A.   Robertson.  .  .Insta 

John   S.    Brown Insta 

William  M.  Todd Insta 

Albert  G.  Hodges Insta 

Joseph  Clarke '. . .  Insta 

John  P.  Reading •.  .Insta 

James  F,  Dryden Insta 

William  J.  Phillips Insta 

George  W.  Lewis Insta 

Richard  Knott Insta 

Thomas  S.  Page Insta 

Daniel    Harris Insta 

William  T.  Herndon.  ..  .Insta 

J.   M.   Mills Insta 

E.   L-   Samuel Insta 

S.  C.  Bull Insta 

J.   M.  Todd Insta 

W.  T.  Reading Insta 

R.  K.  McClure Insta 

Frank   Chinn Insta 

H.  H.  Watson Insta 

J.  W.  Pruett Insta 

W.  H.  Sneed Insta 

John    AlcClure Insta 

George  C.   Watson Insta 

Dr.  J.  Q.  A.  Stewart Insta 

Dr.  S.  E.  James Insta 

William  Craik Insta 

Charles   E.    Hodge Insta 

T.  L.   Edelen Insta 

W.   C.    Herndon In«ta 

J.   Buford   Hendrick Insta 

David    Nicol Insta 

Thomas  P.  Averill Instal 

William  A.   Bull Instal 


died 

1828, 

lied 

1828, 

lied 

1828. 

lied 

1829, 

lied 

1829, 

lied 

1830, 

lied 

1830, 

lied 

1830, 

lied 

1830, 

lied 

1834, 

lied 

1841, 

lied 

1841, 

lied 

1846, 

lied 

1846, 

lied 

1846, 

lied 

i8s6. 

lied 

i86u, 

lied 

t86o. 

lied 

1866. 

lied 

1866, 

lied 

1875, 

lied 

1875. 

lied 

1877, 

lied 

1877, 

lied 

1877, 

lied 

1877, 

lied 

T877. 

lied 

1884. 

lied 

1884. 

lied 

1884. 

lied 

189s, 

lied 

189.S, 

lied 

1895, 

lied 

189.S, 

lied 

1895. 

led 

1 901 

led 

T901 

served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 
served 


31  years 
12  years 
48  years 
II  years 
5  years 
43  years 

4  years 

30  years 
18  years 

7  years 

7  years 
II  years 
ID  years 

8  years 
8  years 

27  years 

5  years 
3  years 

31  years 
II  years 

2  years 

2  years 

20  years 

24  years 

24  years 

8  years 

2  years 

14  years 

17  years 

10  years 

6  years 
6  years 
6  years 
6  years 
6  years 


GENERAL,    SUMMARY. 


243 


ROLL    OF    MEMBERSHIP. 

Those  marked  f  were  among  the  original  members  of  the 
church.  Those  marked  *  were  received  upon  certificate  from 
another  church.  All  others  were  received  upon  profession  of 
their  faith. 

FIRST   RECORDED    ROLL. 
(Minutes  of  Session,  May  5th,  1825.) 


Mrs.  Margaretta  Brown.f 
Mrs    Elizabeth  Love,t 
Mrs.  Jane  Cox.f 
Mrs.  Mary  Evans.f 
Mrs.  Mary  Blane.f 
Mrs.    Elizabeth   Hardin,t 
Mrs.  R.ebecca  Paxton.f 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cammack.f 
Miss  Lucy  Cammack,t 
Mrs.  Isabella  Whitehead.! 
Mrs.   Mildred  Tunstell,t 
Thomas  Paxton,t 
John   M.   Foster, "T 
James  J.  Miles, t 
Hamilton   Crockett,t 
Mrs.  Sarah  Reyburn.f 
James  Y.  I.ove.f 
Miss   Elizabeth    Paxton.f 
Miss  Jane   Paxton.f 
Mrs.   .'Vnn  Crockett.f 
Mrs.  Isabella  Miles,t 
Mrs.  Betsey  Mitchell,-; 
Mrs.  Wallace, 
Maria  K.  Crittenden, 
Miss   Lucy  Thomas, 
Miss  Catherine  Crumbaugh, 
David  C.  Humphreys,  (i) 
Mrs.  Mary  Humphreys, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Humphreys, 
Mrs.  Sorrell, 


Mrs.    Henrietta   Brown, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Monroe, 
Mrs.   WilUam   Phillips, 
Mrs.   Harriet  Russell, 
Mrs.  Mary  Smith,  (2) 
Mrs.   Chinn  Smith, 
Mrs    Eliza  Sharpe, 
Mrs.  Mary  Reading, 
Mrs.   Nancy  Boyd, 
Mrs.  Mary  Hamilton, 
John  Reading, 
Mrs.  Livingston, 
Miss  Sarah  Paxton, 
Miss  Lucy  Thomas, 
Mrs.  Louisa  Crumbaugh, 
Mrs    Jane  Lindsey, 
Mrs.  Nancy  Scott, 
Thomas  Scroggin, 
Mrs.  Isabella  Scroggin, 
Mrs.   Catherine  Scott, 
Mrs.  Alice  McQuiddy, 
Miss  Fannie  Wallace, 
Mrs.  Letitia  Rennick, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Watson, 
John  P.  Thomas, 
John    J.    Vest, 
John  Goodman,  (,',) 
Robert    Brown, 
William  Boyd,   (i) 
Robert  Hamilton. (i) 


(i  I   Ruling  Elder. 

(2)  Wife  of  Rev.  EH  Smith. 

(3)  Musical  instrument  maker.     Made  first  piano-forte  used 
in  Executive  Mansion. 


244  HISTORY    OF   FIRST    CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 

1825. 


Mrs.  Lucy  P.  Todd, 
Mrs.  Willis  A.  Lee, 


William   Grooms, 
Joseph  Smith, 
Mrs.   Elizabeth   Swan, 
Miss   Harris    Gray, 
Mrs.  Harriet  Vest, 
Mrs.  Sallie   Morris, 
Mrs.  John   Baltzell, 
Mrs.  Jane  Harris, 
Mrs.  Jane  Goodman,* 


Mrs.  James  McBrayer. 
1826. 

Mrs.    Marcia    Fester. 


1827. 


William  Firth. 
Tviissan   Cox, 
Mrs.  Sally  Logan. 
Mrs.    Nancy   Taylor, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Humphreys, 
Mrs.  Patience  Goodrich, 
Philip  Taylor, 
William   M.   Todd, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Noel.* 


1828. 


Mrs.  A.  F.  Denny, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Munsell, 
Miss  Rebecca  Phillips, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wilkinson, 
Letitia    Todd, 
Alexander  Parker,* 
Thomas   T.    Crittenden, 
Mary  Ann  Watson, 
Mrs.  Mary  Crittenden, 
Mrs.    Jane    McCurdy, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Runyan, 
Mrs.  Jesse  Brown, 
Mrs.  A.  F.  McCurdy, 
Ann    Lindsey, 
Rebecca  B.  Bibb, 
John   Swingle, 
Charles  J.  Spencer, 
John   Hardin, 
Catherine  A.  Morrison, 
Dr.  Luke  Munsell, 
John   Brown, 
A.   F.  McCurdy, 
Matthew  Clarke. 


Joseph'  Clarke, 
Dr.   Leander  J.   Sharpe, 
Charles  H.  Letcher, 
John  Scott, 
Victor  Monroe, 
James    P.    Price, 
Wm.  B.  Logan, 
Thomas  Triplett, 
John  P.  Reading, 
George  Reading, 
John   Green, 
Albert  G.  Taylor, 
John  Blane, 
Wm.  J.  Phillips, 
Jacob    Cheney, 
Wm.  C.  Jones, 
Ridgely  Greathouse, 
James  W.    Denny, 
Garvas  E.  Russell, 
Catherine  Major, 
Elizabeth   Brown, 
Catherine   Scott, 
Ann  Hunter. 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


245 


Letitia  Rennick, 
Arabella  Scott, 
Agnes  H.  Todd, 
Gabrella  A.   Harvie. 
Elmira  Gale, 
Margerite  Bell, 
Elizabeth  Pendleton,    . 
Mrs,  Martha  A.  Roberts, 
Mrs.  Mary  Swingle, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Taylor, 

Mrs.  Julia  F.  Sneed, 

Mary  Cheney, 

Mary  J.  Tompkins, 

Elizabeth  Beaver, 

Frances   Hawkins, 

Rebecca  Triplett, 

Catherine  Waller, 

Jane  Bell 

Davis  G.  Taylor, 

Samuel  A.   King. 

Joseph  W.  HalU* 
Benjamin    Mills,* 
James  F.  Dryden,* 
John  S.  Brown,* 
William  Morris, 
Thornton  A.  Mills,* 
Nathaniel  White, 
J.  G.  Miles, 

Mrs.  Maria  H.   Blanton, 
Mrs.  Mary  Grooms, 


Mrs.  Jane  L.   Swigert, 
Mrs.  Eliza  V.  Blair, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Keenon, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Burch. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brown,* 
Mrs.  Mary  Richardson,* 
Mrs.  Frances  Campbell, 
Mrs.   Lucinda   Baker, 


Lewis  F.  Sneed, 

John  L.  May, 

John  P.  Cammack, 

Richard  Long, 

Austin  P.  Cox, 

Charles  P.  Bacon, 

Robert  Taylor, 
George  A.  Robertson, 
Joseph  Hickman, 
Mrs.  Jane  B.   Page, 
Albert  G.  Hodges, 
Mrs.    Elizabeth    Hodges, 
Mrs.  Bathsheba  Long, 
Miss  Jane  Breckinridge, 
Mrs.  Caroline  Bacon, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Todd, 
Miss    Maria    Miles, 
Mrs.   Mary  Reynolds, 
Miss  Xnna  B.  Miles, 
Mrs.  Ann  Crittenden 


1829. 


Mrs.  Lavinia  Lyn£, 
Mrs.  Mary  P.  Epes 
Miss  Catherine  Fostv. 
Mrs.  Mary  Dryden,* 
Mrs.  Mary  R.  Mills,* 
Miss  Elizabeth  Mills,* 
Miss  Leonora  McCurdy, 
Martha  Mitchell, 
Mrs.   Esther  Haggan, 
Mrs.   Henrietta   Campbell. 


1830. 


Mrs.  Ann  Morris, 
James  Gaines, 
William  D.  ^onng,* 
John  H.  Paxton, 
Micajah    Goin, 
John  Campbell, 
Willis  Taylor, 
Mrs.  Mary  Goin. 


246  HISTORY    OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


183I. 


William   Hatton, 
William  M.  Grooms,* 
Miss  Madisonia  Todd, 
Mrs.  Nancy  Cammack 
Allen  H.  Clarke, 


1832. 


Miss  ]\Iary  Willis  Rennick, 
Miss   Susan   C.   Russell, 
Miss  Mary  McCurdy. 
Wood   M.   Smith, 


1834. 


Mrs.   Catherine  B.   Dryden,* 
Miss    Matilda    W.    Dryden,* 
Miss  Margerite  H.  Dryden,* 
William  Adair.* 
Louisa   Crumbaugh, 
Miss   Sarah   H.   Russell, 
Miss  Ann  Maria  Julian, 
Mrs.  Juliet  Samuel, 
Thomas  J.  Todd,* 
Mary  Jane  Todd. 
Mrs.  Mary  Todd,* 


Mrs.  Hannah  W.  Blair,* 
Mrs.   Agnes  Patterson,* 
Mrs.   Rachel  Lewis, 
John  A.  Scroggin, 
Mrs.   Ellen   Clarke. 


Mrs.  Cath.  Throckmorton, 
Mrs.   Elizabeth  Adair, 
Sarah  Richardson, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Martin. 


David   Meriwether, 
John  W.    Pruett, 
Nathaniel   H.   White, 
Samuel   Keane, 
John   P.    Bruce, 
Aliss  Sarah  Hughes, 
John  M.  Thurston, 
Miss  Patsey  Hughes,* 
Miss  Eloise  Taylor, 
Mrs.  Ann  C.  Tingle,* 
Miss  Ann  Eliza  Dryden, 


1835. 


Moses  B.  Morrison, 
James  Waller, 
Wm.  W.  Linfield, 
Henry   Waller, 
G.   F.    Mudge, 
James  Leonard, 
Margerite    Haley, 
Frances  A.  Johnson, 
Benjamin  Mills, 
John  McFarland  Mills, 
Wm.    S.    Waller, 
Sam'l   D.   McCullough,* 


Aiiss  Amaryllis  Connover, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Waller, 
Miss  Ann  D.  Waller, 
Mrs.    E.    B.    Baker,* 
Mrs.  Ann  C.  Richardson, 
Mrs.  Mary  B.  Richardson, 
Miss   Sarah   Crumbaugh, 
Catherine  Watson, 
Mary  Clarke, 
Eli7abeth  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Harriet  McCullough,* 
Mrs.  Ann  Foster.* 


GKNERAI,     SUMMARY, 


247 


Miss    Mary   A.    Foster,* 
Mrs.  Maria  Cabel, 
Mrs.   Lavinia  Coghlan, 
Miss  Frances  Deaver, 
William    Skillman,* 


1836. 


Miss  Elizabeth  Parker,* 
Dr.  Jas.  J.  Miles, 
Miss  Sarah  Goin, 
Mrs.  Margerite  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Klvira  Skillman.* 


1837- 


Mrs.  Ann  J.  CritLtnclen.* 
Dr.  A.  R.  Hann,* 
Mrs.  Leonora  Hann,* 
Joseph  O.  Ellis, 
Mrs.  Caroline  L.  Bullock, 


1838. 


Mrs.  Mary  Napier, 

Miss  Ellen    Morris, 

John  P.    Morris, 

Miss  Mary   Lucy    Mills, 


Miss  Ellen   Miles. 
George   Parent,* 
John  Moore,* 
Mrs.  Sarah  Moore,* 


Wm.  P.  Morris, 
Mrs.  Eleanor  Harris,* 
G.  W.  Lewis, 
Elizabeth  McFall, 
Charles   Leonard, 
Benjamin    Pilbeam, 
Robert  D.  Collins, 
Ellen  Hydes, 
Samuel  Knott, 
Miss  Mary  A.  Clarke, 
Miss   Rachel   Deaver, 
John  Wilson, 
Thomas  Somerville, 
Richard   Knott, 


Mrs.    Mary    Y.    Brown,* 

Charles  T.  Taylor, 

Hamilton  Kerr,* 

Jane   Pilcher, 

Miss  Cornelia  A.  Crittenden. 


Thomas  W.  Foster, 
Mrs.    Elizabeth   Johnson, 
Catherine  Monroe, 
Joseph  L.  Hopper. 


1839- 


1840. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  Owsley,* 
Mrs.  Frances  McCracken,* 
Mrs.  Evelina  Morehead,* 
Mrs.  Cordelia  Brodhead. 


Miss  Margerite  Whitehead, 
James  R.  Patton, 
Letitia  P.   Breckinridge, 
Mary  Ann  Morris, 
Mary  Ellen  Cloudas, 
Elizabeth  S.  Taylor, 
Henry  Vandegrift, 
William  T.  Leonard, 
John  H.  Russell, 
Deborah  Judge, 
Sarah  E.   Morris, 
Ann  Maria  Lewis, 
Coleman  Reading, 
Marj'   Ellen   Leonard, 


248 


HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 


Caroline  C.   Holton, 
Susanna    R.    Morris, 
Catherine  M.  Morris, 
George  Taylor, 
Peyton    Shaw, 
Mary  A.  Sproule, 
Thomas  L.  Judge, 
Mary  A.   Crumbaugh, 
Julia   H.    Robertson, 
Mary  C.   McQuiddy, 
Eliza  T.   Rennick, 
Ann    E.    Russell, 
Louis  F.  Todd, 

1 841. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Lewis, 
Mrs.  Martha  H.  Blanton.* 
Mrs.  Letitia  Hughes,* 
Mrs.  Charlotte  L.  Letcher,* 
Mrs.  Harriet  Tweedie. 
Zepheniah  Williams, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Williams, 
Beniamin  Monroe, 


Charles  King, 
Mrs.  Jane  B.  Todd, 
Elizabeth  Dryden, 
Cornelius  Coghlan, 
Ann  Mary  Robertc, 
Harriet  Taylor, 
Ellen   E.   Clarke, 
Mary  C.  McKee, 
Mary  W.  Davidson, 
Charles  J.    Brooks, 
David  Tweedie, 
Mrs.   Mary  W.   Brown, 
Sarah    Lee    Crittenden, 


Cinthia  Monroe, 
Andrew  Monroe, 
Wm.  P.  Monroe, 
Catherine  Rennick, 
Mrs.    Mary  W.   Buford, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Bacon, 
William  Lyons, 
Mrs.  Catherine  L.  Todd.* 


1842. 


Miss  Ann  Eliza   Page, 
Sarah  E.  Blanton, 
Hannah  C.  Dryden, 
Allisonia   Rennick, 
Franklin  Dillon, 
Alexander  Bradley, 
James  W.  Batchelor, 
Mrs.    Mary   E.    Batchelor, 
Miss    Harriet   J.    Clarke, 
Miss  Jane  A.  Dryden, 
Benjamin  Monroe,  Jr., 
Mrs.  Eliza  Harlan,* 


Mrs.  Ann  Innes, 
Mary  Clarke, 
Mary  Scott, 
Robert  B.  McKee, 
William   R.   Williams, 
Z.   B.  Wilhanib, 
Walker  Rawson, 
Miss  Harriet  Evans, 
A.  A.  Patterson, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Long, 
.Samuel   M.   Long. 


1843- 


Mrs.  Nancy  Robertson, 
Miss  Adaline  Cloudas, 
Mrs.    Susan    Smith,* 


Mrs.  Joyce  Mills, 
Mrs.   Mary  B.  Hill,* 
Mrs.   Sara   Bergstresser. 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


249 


1844. 


Mrs.  Sarah  Marsh, 

Miss  Margerite  Campbell, 

Mrs.  Sarah  Maisch,* 


George  Harper,* 
Mrs.   Mary  McOwen, 
Mrs.    Eliza    Hitchman. 


1845. 


Asa  Farrar,* 
Mrs.  Martha  Farrar,* 
Dr.   O.   S.   Wilson,* 
Miss  Harriet  V.   Russell, 
Miss  Elizabeth  T.  Harlan, 
Miss  Cristine  McEwan, 
Alexander  H.  Rennick, 
Mary  E.   McClure, 
William  T.    Herndon, 
Mrs.    Mary    E.    Moffatt, 
James  Read, 
Mrs.  Ann  Hord, 
Matthew  C.  White, 
James  Taylor, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Harbison, 
John  Lewis, 


Henry  Clay  Harlan, 
N.   R.  Siler, 
George  Vest, 
Mrs.  Louisa  Siler, 
Miss  Mary  O.   Lewis, 
Mrs.   Lucy  B.   Watts, 
Amelia   G.   Anderson,* 
Mrs.  Catherine  Lehman,* 


Mrs.    Hannah    Goodwin, 
Mrs.  Abijah  Hughes, 
George  Washington, 
Edward  S.  Washington, 
Letty  Washington, 
Mrs.  A.  E.  Washington, 


1846. 


Thomas  D.  Tilford.^ 
Mrs.  Hannah  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Margerite  L.  Clarke, 
William  Sampson,* 
Thomas  S.   Page, 
John  W.  Taylor, 
Mrs.  Susan  Watson, 
Miss  Louise  W.  Rennick, 
Daniel    H.    Harris, 
John  J.   Page, 
James    R.    Watson, 
Miss  Hettie  M.  Bowmar, 
Davis  Harbison,* 
William  Braden,*    . 
Miss  Phebe  Bergstresser, 
Dr.    Benjamin    Monroe. 


Mrs.  W.   M.   Brown,* 
Miss  Catherine  Monroe, 
W.  B.  Nold,* 
Mrs.   H.  T.   Nold,* 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Woolfolk, 
Miss    Mary    McMurtry, 
Mrs.  Mary  Cogswell, 
Robert  Hygate. 


1847. 


Mrs.  Lucy  Shackelford, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Williams, 
Mrs.   Rebecca  Carlisle, 
Mr.    John    R.    Hendrick, 
W.   R.  Williams, 
Abijah  Hughes. 


250  HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


1848. 


William  Strobridge, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  G.  Averill, 
Miss  Maria   L.   Averill, 
E.  R.  Smith, 


Mrs.  Ann  Wallace, 
Mrs.    Effie   Strobridge, 
Mrs.  Margerite  J.  Herndon, 
Mrs.  Harriet  Brcrwnlow.* 


1849. 


Mrs.  Susan  M.  Temple,* 

Mrs.   Margerite  Leavy,* 

Mrs.  Ashley  Green,* 

Mrs.  Marcia  Rosson, 

John  M.  Todd. 

Mrs.   Lavinia   Herndon, 

Mrs.  ATargerite  Lynn, 

Miss   Sarah    A.    Clarke, 

Samuel   Gill, 

Dr.  Joseph  W.    Roberts, 

Miss  Ann  Mary  Belt, 

EdAvin  L.  Samuel, 

Charles  J.    Clarke, 

Joseph  Foxj 

Charles  E.  Taylor, 

J.   J.    Hendricks. 

John  Clarke, 

George  W.  Crunibaugh, 

William  Clarke, 

Miss  Sarah  Belt, 

Miss  Mary  Todd  Hodges, 

Miss  Martha  Morris, 

Miss  Rebecca  Triplett, 

Miss   Laura    Harlan, 

Miss  ATaria  Cronley, 

Miss   Elizabeth    E.   Averill, 

Miss  Jacqueline  Page, 

Miss  Augusta   Page, 

Miss  Jane  J.  Page, 


1850. 


Thomas  Harper, 
Mr?.    Mary   Shannon, 
Mr.  Terah  T.  Haggan, 


Miss   Ann   A.    Hodges, 
Miss  Harriet  Pettitt, 
Miss  Martha  W.   Hodges, 
Miss    Lucy    V.    Blanton, 
W.  A.   Redman, 
James   R.    I'age,  Jr. 
Harvie    Breathitt. 
Miss  Frances  Smith, 
Eugene  W.   Crittenden, 
Lewis   McChesney, 
John  A.  Rennick, 
Miss  Frances  Mills, 
Peter  Mills, 
John  G.  Keenon, 
Edgar  Keenon, 
Miss  Susan  Ruffner, 
Miss  Margerite  Ruffner, 
Miss  Sarah  M.  Cox, 
Miss  Henrietta  Ruffner, 
Miss  Catherine  Robinson, 
Miss  Felicia  J.  Clarke, 
Miss  Matilda  Dryden, 
Aliss    Ellen    Chambers, 
Joseph  Smith. 
j\Jiss  -May  J.  Wood, 
Miss  Mary  Phillips  Cox, 
Terah  Haggan,  Jr., 
Joseph  T.   Leonard,* 
John  Seller. 


Mrs.  Sarah  Harbor, 
Mrs.    Mary  B.  Harper,* 
Mrs.    Catherine   Harper, 


GUNERAIy    SUMMARY. 


251 


Samuel  Fay,* 
Mrs.  Aletha  Brigham,* 
Miss  Eliza  Shannon, 
Miss  Adeline  Haggan, 


Mrs.  Cordelia  A.  Roberts, 
Mrs.  Susan  A.  Rodman,* 
Henry  Gerhart. 
Miss   Jessie    Carmichael, 
John   B.  Temple, 


1851. 


Mrs.  Martha  A.  Wooley, 
John    Phlager, 
Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Henry. 
James  L.  Sneed. 


Miss  Amanda  Morris, 
Miss  Eliza  Monroe,* 
Miss  M.  M.  Wagley.^ 
Mrs    Mary  V.  Gale, 
Clarke  Knott. 


1852. 


Miss  Sarah  J.   Thornton. 
Miss    Isabella    Price,* 
Mrs.  Harriet  E.  Todd, 
Miss    Annie   M.    Cowie. 
Mrs.  Mary  Long, 
Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Overton, 


Miss   ]\Iary   Swigert, 
Mrs.  Mary  Judge, 
Mrs.   Florida  Price,* 
Mrs.  Louisa  George, 
Mrs.  Maria  R.   Price. 


1853- 


Mrs.  Sarah  Ramsey, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lobban, 
Miss  Bettie  Monroe, 


Miss  Cornelia  Wheat, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Scott, 
Mrs.    Sarah   J.    Miller. 


Mrs.   Cornelia  Safford, 
Catherine  Taylor, 
Archibald  King, 
Philip  Loesch, 
Mrs.   Katherine  Loesch, 
Mrs.  Charlotte  Harbison, 
Mrs.  Susan  Page. 
Miss  Eliza  King, 
Mrs.   Louisa   Crockett, 
Henry  Murray, 


John  T.  Leavy, 

Mrs.   Ann  M.   Frazier, 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hamilton.* 


1854. 


1855- 


Mr.  J.   Nourse. 
Peter  Waldschmidt, 
Katherine  Waldschmidt. 


Mrs.   Aramenta  Nourse, 
William  Haly, 
Thomas  T.   Crittenden.* 
Mrs    Gabrella  Breathitt,'' 
Earnest  Nitchey, 
Miss  Elgetha  Keenon, 
Mrs.  Katura  Mills, 
Mrs.    Mary    Clarke, 
Miss  Susan  King, 
Miss  Polly  Monroe. 


252  rilSTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 


1856. 


Robert  Nicol, 

Mrs.   Henrietta  Nicol, 

John   B.  Tilford, 


James  Evans, 
Mrs.  Mary  Henderson, 
William  W.  Hutchinson, 
Lucretia  Hocker, 
Miss  Mary  R.  Todd, 
Miss  Martha  Todd, 
Miss  Catherine  Reading, 
Mrs.  Henrietta  Keenon, 
Mrs.    Catherine    Grant, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Hutchinson, 
Miss   Kitty    Henderson, 
Miss  Blandina  Brodhead, 
Miss  Cordelia  Brodhead, 
Miss  Rebecca  A.   Cox, 
William  T.   Reading, 
Marvin  D.  Averill, 
Samuel  C.  Bull. 
Robert   Henderson, 
J.  N.  Crutcher, 
Charles  Kearns, 
Thomas  Price, 


Mrs.  Mary  James,* 

John    Carter,* 

Mrs.  Catherine  Carter,* 

Mrs.  Louisa  J.  Tate,* 

Mrs.  Jane  Butler,* 

John    Carter,  Jr., 

George  Thomas, 

George  Baber, 

Wm.  W.   Hutchinson,* 


Mrs.  Annette  Swigert,* 
Hugh  Allen,* 
Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Bib> 


1857. 


David  G.  V'enable,* 

Robert  Moore, 

Mrs.    Maria   Richardson, 


Mrs.  Mallie  F.  Harlan,* 
Miss  Hallie  D.  Todd, 
William    H.    Averill, 
Miss  Laura  S.  Cox, 
Miss  Sallie  Harlan, 
Miss  Anna   Davidson, 
Miss  Carrie  B.  Hodges, 
George    T.    Hodges, 
J.  A.  Grant, 
John  Proctor, 
Miss   Cordelia  Russeli 
Miss  Cordelia  Page, 
Miss  Arabella  Johnson, 
Miss    Elizabeth    F.    Cox, 
Miss  Florence  Samuel, 
Miss   Margaret   Dillon, 
Miss  Eleanor  Leavy, 
Jane  Gordon, 
Joseph  B.  Lewis, 
Miss  Margaret  Mclver, 
Miss  Rebecca  Moffatt. 


1858. 


Mrs.  Rebecca  B.  Barbour,* 
Miss  Irene  Keenon, 
Wm.   G.   Carpenter, 
Mrs.    E.    E.    Botts, 
Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Fellmer,* 
Mrs.    Mary  V.  Jackson,* 
Mrs.   Henrietta  Cox, 
Mrs.    Mary  J.    Smith, 
Mrs.  Mary  Hutchinson.* 


1859- 


Mrs.  Harriet  Warner,* 
William   Todd,* 
Mrs.  Janet  Todd,* 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


253 


i860. 


Mrs.  Kate  O.  Green, 
Mrs.  Anna  Magoffin,* 
Mrs.  C.  J.  Smith, 


Mrs.  Martha  Milam, 
Miss  Mollie  Dryden, 
Miss  Laura  Campbell, 
Miss    Zenade    Keenon, 
Mrs.  Maria  E.  Monroe, 
Miss  Josephine  Cox, 
Miss  Julia  Davenport, 
Miss  Mary  Page, 
William  E.   Cox, 
Miss   Margaret  Campbell, 
Mrs.  Ellen  Keenon, 
Miss  Mag  Herndon, 
Thomas  M.  Page, 
Benjamin  F.  Meek, 
Miss  Sallie  Jackson, 


1861. 


1862. 


Miss  Jane  Watson,* 
Miss  Margaretta  Brown, 
Miss  Mary  Brown  Scott, 


1863. 


John  T.  Gray,* 
Miss  Mary  T.  Miller, 
J.  Albert  Hodges, 
Miss  lone  Keenon, 
Miss  Kate  Allen, 
Mrs.  Mary  C.  Miller,* 
James  G.  Miller,* 
Miss  Mary  Sneed, 
John  Crittenden  Watson, 
Mrs.  Maria  J.  Crittenden, 
Mrs.   Ann   Mary   Gray, 
Miss  Elizabeth  B.  Hodges, 
Thomas  L.   Crittenden, 
Mrs.   C.   L.   Crittenden,* 


Miss  Sallie  J.  Chinn, 
Miss  Anna  E.  Chinn, 
Mary  J.  Williams. 


Mrs.  I^ouisa  M.  Lindsey, 
Miss   Lucy  W.   Lindsey, 
Miss  Laura  Bright, 
^Irs.   Edna  Bowman, 
Hugh  L.  Goodwin,* 
Miss   Bell   Lindsey, 
Miss  Thalia  Woods, 
Miss  Sarah  E.  James, 
Mrs.    Elizabeth    Monroe, 
J.  Russell  Williams, 
Miss  Edmonia  Berry, 
James  M,  Todd, 
John  A.   Monroe, 
Mrs.  Susan  Hendricks, 
Miss  Fannie  Baldwin.* 


Mrs.  Maria  Starling, 
Mrs.  S.  S.   Hughes, 
]Mrs.   Fannie  D.   Hays.* 


John  F.  Lewis, 
Richard  McClure, 
Miss   Kate  Watson, 
Miss  Ann  Innis  Watson, 
Miss  Lizzie  Sneed, 
Miss  Martha  R.  McClure, 
Alexander  Pearson, 
Mrs.   Mary  B.   Monroe, 
Miss  Kate  S.  Johnson, 
Miss  Carrie  B.  Johnson, 
Miss  Eliza  Johnson, 
John    B.   James, 
Daniel  James, 
IMiss  Eliza  James. 


254 


HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,   FRANKFORT. 


1864. 


John   H.    Maupin, 
Mrs.  Rachel  Maupin, 
Miss  Annie   M.    Long, 
Charles  Prell, 


1865. 


William  H.  Sneed, 
Joseph    G.    Roberts, 
Miss  Eliza  Adair  Monroe, 
Mrs.   Mary  A.   Kersey,* 
Mrs.  Ann  Shaffer, 


Mrs.   Agnes  T.   Sneed, 
Yoder    Brown, 
Miss  May  W.  Maupin, 
Miss  Annie  E.  Maupin, 
Charles    G.    Russell, 
J.    S.    Hamilton, 
Miss  Lucy  McKee, 
Knox  Brown, 
Gustave  Shaffer, 
Mrs.  Martinetta  McKee, 
J.  E.   Pickett  Woodson, 
George  C.  Watson, 
William  M.  Johnson, 
John   L.   Sneed, 
Alex    Logan    McKee, 


AJiss  Pauline  R.  Watson, 
James  Harlan, 
Miss  Clara  V.  James, 
Miss  Jane  Hamilton.* 


Miss  Mary  Hannah  Todd, 
Miss  Anna  F.  Monroe, 
Miss  May  A.  Page, 
George  M.  Hall. 


1866. 


Theodore  Ford, 
John  Mason  Brown, 
Williamson  W.  Bacon, 
William  H.  Williams, 
James  Goin, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Long, 
Miss  Lizzie  McKee, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pepper, 
Mrs.  Ann  S.  Chinn, 
Miss  Sallie  E.   Powell, 
Miss  Mary  Powell, 
Theodore  Polk, 
William  B.  Rodman, 
John  H.  Jackson, 
Isaac  Manning. 


1867. 


Mrs.  Catherine  Williams, 
Theophilus  Maher,* 
Mrs.   Sarah   Maher,* 
Mrs.  Mildred  Hudson,* 
Mrs.   Elizabeth   Dudley, 
Mrs.   Alice  Withrow, 
Mrs.   Elizabeth   Hatchett,* 
Rudolph  Yount. 
James  M.  Withrow, 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  Boyd,* 
Miss  Emma  V.  Woods, 
Mrs.   Sallie   B.    Phillips,* 
Miss  Mattie  McAfee,* 
Miss  Bettie  Cain, 
Mrs.  Eliza  Baker,* 
Mrs.  Maggie  Polk,* 
Miss  Sarah  Hudson,* 
Mrs.  Nancy  M.  Long. 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


255 


1868. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  B.  Scott,* 
Mrs.  Lucy   Cook, 
Mrs.  Nancy  M.  Long, 
James    C.    Rodgers, 
Romulus  R.  Bacon, 
Mrs.  Louise  Woods, 
Miss  Rachel  Maupin, 
Mrs.  Carrie  V.  Bush,* 


Matthew  E.  Jett,* 
Mrs.  Agnes  Jett,* 
Miss  Annie  Innes  Todd, 
Daniel   R.   Jones,* 
Mrs.   Margaret  Jones,* 
Miss   Anna   Buckwalter, 


Mrs.  Agnes  Nesbitt,* 
Miss  Jennie  Butler, 
Mrs.  Emma  B.  Averill,* 


Miss  Susan  Herndon, 
Miss  Maria  Todd, 
Miss  Mattie  J.  Jett, 


Dr.  R.  J.  Waggener,* 
Miss  Jennie  Waggener, 
Russell  Sneed, 


Miss  Hallie  Herndon, 
Miss  Mary  C.  Swigert, 
Mrs.  Maria  W.  Lindsey, 
Miss  Anna  P.  Russell, 
Miss  Jennie  Gaines, 
Albert    H.    McClure, 


H.  R.   Miller, 
B.  F.  Buckwalter, 
John   Watson, 
Mrs.  Sarah  R.  Watson, 
Mrs.   M.  J.   Stephens, 
Miss  Minnie  Tilford, 
George  W.  Durham,* 
Mrs.  Caroline  Buckwalter. 


1869. 


Samuel  Maher, 

Miss   Lillie   Buckwalter, 

Thos.  Alexander  Todd, 

T.  J.  Todd, 

Mrs.  Sophia  Wolfe. 


1870. 


1871. 


Mrs.  Sarah  Hutchinson,* 
Miss  Julia  Todd, 
Chapman  C.  Todd. 


Mrs.    Kitty   K.    Railey, 

John  M.  Banta, 

Mrs.  Marv  A.  McClure.* 


1872. 


1873- 


William    A.    Gaines, 
Samuel  E.  James, 
Campbell  James. 


Miss  Annie  McClure, 
Miss  Emma  James, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  V.  Reading 
Mrs.   Willie  F.  Grant. 
Miss  Annie  Herndon, 
Miss   Pattie   Rodman, 


256  HISTORY   OF   FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


John   McClure, 
C.  P.   Dowling, 
Mrs.   Lucinda  Dowling, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  L.  Bacon, 


Frank  Chinn, 
George    E.   Bacon, 
E.   R.   Spottswood,* 
Mrs.  S.  P.  Spotlswood,* 
Fred    Spottswood,-" 


Miss  Saphronia  Risk, 
Mrs.   Hettie  Lindsay, 
William   T.    Scott, 
Mrs.   Mary  Y.   B.   Scott, 
Lucas   Brodhead, 
Miss  Kate  Watson, 
Miss  Rebecca  G.  Averill, 
Miss  Belle  Garrard, 
Miss  Fannie  Hendrick, 
Mrs.   Elgetha  Laughlin,* 
Mi-ss  Mary  L.  Crittenden, 
Samuel   D.  Johnson, 


J.  W.  Pruett, 
George  A.  Lewis, 
Charles  L.   McKee, 
H.   Howe  Watson, 
William  Craik, 
Robert  W.  Tilford, 
Miss  Ella  Dickinson, 
Miss  Allie  Todd, 
Miss  Paulina  C.   Pepper, 
Miss  Annie  M.  Crutcher, 
Miss  Lavinia   Herndon, 
Miss  Felicia  Herndon, 
Miss  Annie  M.  Thomas, 


1875- 


1876. 


Miss  Jennie  Bull, 
Mrs.  Mary  J.  Davis, 
Mrs.  Add  McK.   Heffner, 
Mrs.  Sarah  F.  Taylor. 


1874. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  T.  Watson, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stewart,* 
Frank   D.   Spottswood,* 
Alfred  M.  Spottswood,* 
William  Onkst. 


Miss  Eliza  E.  Brown, 
Mrs.   M.  J.   Kesler,* 
Miss  Mary  Kesler,* 
Walter  Kesler,* 
H.  R.  Powell, 
Miss  Sallie  Schenck, 
Matthew  A.  Gay, 
Mrs.  Naomi  Gay, 
Miss  Mary  E.  Gay, 
James  M.  Todd,  Jr., 
Wm.  J.  Mosier, 
Howard  Jett. 


Miss  Elizabeth  Monroe, 
Miss  Kate  G.  Bush, 
Miss  Lizzie  Watson, 
Miss  Sallie  Sneed, 
Miss    Mary    S.    Bush, 
Miss  Jennie  3.  Hendrick, 
Miss    Leltie    L.    Todd, 
Mrs.    Martha    Went, 
Miss  Sue  B.  Barbour, 
Mrs.  Cornelia  Bush,* 
Miss  Elizabeth  Powell, 
Miss    Kate    Ghieselin, 
Mrs.   Lavinia  Terhune. 


GENKRAL    SUMMARY. 


257 


1877. 


Mrs.   Lizzie  Hunt  Cliinn, 
Miss    Annie   T.    Bull, 
Miss  Mattie  J.  Page, 
Miss  Annie  M.  Monroe, 
Miss  Mary  Hannah  Todd, 
Mrs.  Corinne  Watson,* 
Mrs.  Adeline  W.  Brown, 
Mrs.   Kate  O.  Green,* 
Lee  C.   Woodson, 


1878. 


Mrs.  Sallie  P.  Dodd, 
Dr.  John  Q.  A.  Stewart,* 
Mrs.  Mary  H.  Stewart,* 
Mrs.  Emrneline  B.  Pruett, 
Mrs.  Mildred  Hudson,* 
Thomas  P.  Averill, 


Miss  Emma  Pruett, 
Miss  Jennie  Craik, 
A'liss  Mary  Bell   Murray, 
Mrs.  Ada  C.  Pugh,* 
Miss  Mary  Pugh,* 
Mrs.    C.   A.    Trnett, 
Miss  Ida  Crockett. 
Mrs.  Ann  Edgar,* 
W.  H.  Murray. 


Miss  Bettie  C.  Stewart, 
Miss  Jennie  Morrow,* 
Mrs.  Mary  Donnehue, 
Miss  Nannie  Kesler, 
Charles  Neuramer. 


1879. 


Miss  Lottie  E.   Smith, 
Miss  Sallie  Zeigler, 
Miss  Emma  Zeigler, 
Miss  Ida  Zeigler, 
Wm.   P.   fludson,  Jr., 
Jacob  Ahler, 
Finlay  F.   Bush. 
Crittenden   Todd, 
Dudley  Watson, 
Sam  Bull,  Jr., 
William  Barr, 
Ben  T.    Roberts, 
Albert  H.  Crutcher, 
Mrs.  Lottie  Walcott, 
Miss  Kate  Ahler, 
Miss   Lizzie  Jett, 
William   L.   McEwan, 
James  G.  Dudley,  Jr., 
Sidney  Bush, 
John  Cornelius, 
David  Nicol, 


J.   Howard  Gray, 
Grant  Green.  Jr., 
Walter  P.  Craik, 
Oliver  S.   Walcott, 
Wm.    T.    Arvin. 
Clifford  Vane, 
Miss  Mary  T.  Bull, 
Miss  Mary  Ely. 
Miss   Sadie  B.    Pugh, 
Miss  Sue  Crockett, 
Miss  Mary  Cammack, 
Miss  Jennie  Todd, 
Miss  Nellie  Dudley, 
Miss  Sue  Bush, 
Miss  Pattie  Roberts, 
Miss  Kitty  Todd, 
Miss  Ruth  Merchant, 
Miss  Agnes  Nicol, 
Miss  Eleanor  Nicol, 
Miss  Lina  Stewart, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Siltz, 


258  HISTORY    OF   FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


Miss  Lina  Siltz, 
Mrs.   Sarah   L,uckett, 
Miss  Eleanor  Woods, 
Mrs.  Annie  M.   Keenon, 


Mrs.   Paulina  Bauer, 
S.    H.    Mendenhall, 
Mrs.  Jane  Mendenhall, 
Mrs.   Matilda  Keaton, 
Miss  Mary  Jane  Brown, 
Mary  J.  Gerhart, 
Mary  E.  Daniel, 
Mrs.  Rosanna  Zook, 
George  E.   Frazier, 
Miss  Mary  B.  McKinney, 


Miss  Eulia  Staines, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Puckett, 


Mrs.    Ellen    Grant, 
D.  L.  Sublett,* 
Mrs.  Mattie  Sublett,* 
John  Grant, 

Miss  Alexandria   Grant, 
Mrs.  Helen  R.  French, 
Miss  Lizzie  R.  Hudson, 
Miss  Mary  Mason  Scott, 
Miss   Emily  H.   Woods, 
vS.    French   Hoge. 
J.   M.  Stephens.* 
Mrs.   lone  Stephens,"' 
Mrs.  Laura  S.  Pepper, 
Mrs.  Anna  B.  Posey,* 
Wickliff  Chapman,* 
Mrs.  Edith  Chapman,* 
Miss  Bonnie  B.  Todd, 
Miss  Kate  O.  Green, 
William  Hulitt. 


James  A.  Murray, 
Condit  Jones, 
William  S.  Rosson, 
Frances  Sosson. 


1882. 


Mrs.   Elizabeth  Fallis, 
Prof.  S.  J.  Stevens,* 
Mrs.  L.  A.  Stevens,* 
Miss  Theresa  Stevens,* 
Miss  Ann  B.  Stevens,* 
Paul   Ste\-ens,* 
A.    F.    Crichton, 
George  W.  Macey,* 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Macey,* 
William  Tutt. 


1883. 


Emma  P.  Russell, 
Edward  H.  Bull. 


1884. 


Mrs.  Allie  Hulitt, 
Wm.   S.    Caplinger, 
John  W.  Fallis, 
J.   Buford  Hendrick, 
Mrs.  Hattie  Crichton, 
Mrs.  Emma  Reinking. 
Mrs.   Margerite  Trumbo, 
Miss  Judith  Sublitt, 
Joseph   H.   Bohon,* 
Mrs.  Nannie  R.  Duvall. 
Mrs.    Kate   M.    Exum,* 
Miss   Sue  W.    French, 
Mrs.  Mary  McFarland, 
Dr.  J.  R.  Ely, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  M.  Ely, 
James  H.   Dryden, 
Charles  B.  Le  Compt, 
Mrs.  Charlotte  Woodward, 
Miss  Laura  L.  French, 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


=  59 


James  McFarland, 
John  F.   Murphy, 


Miss  Lillie   Harancourt, 
Miss  Maria  Pepper, 
Miss  Lizzie  Pepper, 
W.  H.  McClure, 
Albert   H.    McClure,  Jr., 
Miss  Nellie  M.   Fellmer, 
John  W.  Reading, 
E.    M.    Hansboro. 
Mrs.   E-   Hansboro. 
Mrs.    Mary    McKinney, 
William  F.  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Willie  Johnson, 
Miss  Alice  Cozine, 
Miss  Carrie  Bush, 
William   McKinney. 
John  Heller,  Jr.. 
John  M.  Bull, 
Oliver   Walcott, 


Mrs.  Annie  B.  Hoge.'^ 
Miss  Virginia  Briggs.* 
William  Jordan,* 
Mrs.   M.  T.  Jordan,* 
Mrs.  Kitty  J.  Dryden,* 
Mrs.  Sarah  R.  Waggener,- 
Alexander  Smyrl,* 
Mrs.    Nancy    Byrne, 
Mrs.  Laura  K.  Shea, 
Miss  Emma  Kagin, 
Miss   Mary   E.    Dryden, 
Miss  Nora  McManaway, 
Miss   Lula   McManaway, 
Wm.  Todd  Brown. 
Miss  Laura  P.   Starling, 
Griffin   Campbell, 
Miss  Eliza  Smyrl, 


1885. 


Mrs.  Mary  Murphy, 
Miss  Lizzie  Schoneberg. 


Miss  Rebecca  McKinney, 
Miss  Victoria  Peffer, 
Miss  Lillie  Hansboro, 
Miss  Cora  Hansboro, 
Miss  Kate  Hansboro, 
Mrs.  Sallie  Willis, 
Lewis  Rossell, 
Mrs.   Florence   Dorsey, 
James  Noland, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Rossell, 
Mrs.  Nellie  M.  Church, 
Mrs.  Christine  Brown, 
Carroll  Walcott, 
Lewis  Sneed, 
William  Todd,* 
Mrs.  Jane  Todd,* 
Miss  Ettie  May, 
Miss  Louella  Willis. 


1886. 


William  H.  Waggener, 
Mrs.  Cinthia  L.  Bacon, 
Miss   Mary   E.    Douglas, 
Miss  Gracia  B.  Grant, 
Miss  Dora  Dean, 
William  Dean, 
Mrs.   Mollie  Dean, 
Mrs.  A.  Smyrl, 
John  W.  Milam, 
John  R.   Currans, 
J.  L.  Waggener,  Jr., 
Edwin  S.  Ely, 
Thomas  P.  Grant, 
Miss   Maggie  Branch, 
Willi.^m  E.  Willis 
Miss  Louisa  Peveler, 
Mrs.    Marv  Fuhs. 


26o 


HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


1887. 


Miss  .lennie  Calder,* 
Miss  Tvizzie  Calder,* 
Miss  Sue  M.  Matthews,* 
T.   Lindsej'  Blayney, 
Miss  Sadie  W.  Taylor, 
Miss  Hettie  Wilson, 
Kidder  W.  Woods, 
Miss  R.  McK.  Crittenden, 
Mrs.  Virginia  Stephens,* 
Lysander   Hord, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Ilannin, 
Mrs.   Bettie  Currans, 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Chesney,* 
Miss   Mary  Chesney,* 
Miss  Jennie  M.  Rumpp,* 
Miss  Fannie  E.  Rumpp,* 
Win.  L.  McLean, 
Fred  McKenzie, 
Wm.  S.  Morris, 
David   Calder,^-- 


Mrs.  Anna  Calder.* 
Mrs.   Louisa   Cannon.* 
William  McCloy,* 
Mrs.  Zenade  McCloy,* 
Miss  Fannie  Gray, 
Mrs.    Susan   Smith, 
Miss  Louisa  Rixon, 
Miss  Eva  B.  Hoge. 
Jack  Bradley. 
Mrs.  Josie  Bradley, 
Miss  Pauline  Frazier, 
Miss  Sadie  W.  Grant 
William  F.  Lanson,* 
Mrs.  Adelaide  Lanson,* 
Hugh   McKenzie,* 
Miss   Kate  McKenzie,* 
Miss   Lillie   McKenzie," 
Miss  Nellie  McKenzie,* 
William  L.  McLean, 
F.  J.  Sutterlin. 


1888. 


Mrs.  Claudia  Montgomery, 

W.    E.    Lansom. 

Miss  Maggie  Woodson. 

Miss  Lizzie  Kehr. 

John  A.   Pierce, 

Miss  Matilda  Haldi. 


Miss   Mary   Boston,* 
Mrs.  Mary  Dawson. 
R.    K.    Woodson,   Jr., 
Miss  Amelia  Kerr, 
Mrs.  Callie  Moore. 
Charles  Kehr. 


i88q. 


Miss   Lizzie    Hunt    Chinn, 
Miss  Anna  Bell  Chinn, 
Miss  Mildred  M.  Hoge, 
Mrs.  Alice  Morris, 
Miss  Mary  Morris, 
Miss  Susanna  Morris, 
W.   F.   Barrett, 
John  M.  Scott, 
Miss  Ida  W.   Dryden, 
James  E.  Nichols,* 


Miss  Elizabeth  Crutcher, 

Mrs.  Nellie  B.  Gordon,* 

Miss  Laura  Betts, 

Miss  Eloise  Trumbo. 

Mrs.  Georgia  L.  Hendrick,* 

William  Nickols,* 

Mrs.   L.   Nickols,* 

Miss  Letitia  Chesney, 

.A.nderson  Gaines. 

lohn  ATcKee  Heffner. 


GENERAI,    SUMMARY. 


261 


1890. 


Peter  S.   Rule,* 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rule,* 
Mrs.  Ullie  H.  Neel,* 
Miss  Laura  Munsell,* 
Miss    Maria    Mnnsell,* 
Herbert  M.  Johnson,* 
Mrs.   Ann   E.   Tilford,* 
Julian  Tiltord,* 
Robert  P.  Pepper,  Jr.. 
W.  H.  Averill,  Jr., 
Miss  Ruth  Ely, 


R.  B.  Averill, 

W.  H.  Holt,  Jr., 

Ivan  A.   Hoge, 

Mrs.  Annette   vValcott, 

Mrs.    Eleanor    Hulitt, 

Miss  Jane  Currans, 

Mrs.  Mary  Stcdman,* 

Mattie  Blair, 

Miss  Nora  Noland, 

Wallace   McCloy, 

Wm.  A.   Haycraft. 


189I. 


Miss  Barbara  Follis, 
Dr.  John  P.  Stewart, 
Miss  Cordelia  Cannon, 
Miss  Pauline  \V.  Brown. 
Miss  Maria  Louise  Averill, 
J.  L.   VVaggener, 
William  A.  Bull, 
Miss  Harriet  McClure, 
Edmond  B.  Taylor, 
Th(",nias  H.  Taylor,  Jr., 
Mrs.  Mary  Milam,* 
Miss  Annie  Grant, 
Miss  Agnes  Douglas, 
Steele   Reading, 
Miss   Pru  B.   Chinn, 
Mrs.  Jennie  M.  Chinn, 
Miss  Amanda  Zeigler, 
Miss  lone  Giant, 
William  Follis, 
John  Webb. 
Miss   Bertha   Dean, 
Miss  Adela  Woods, 
Robert  L.   Russell. 


1892. 


T.  L.  Edelen,* 

Mrs.    Lillie  E.   Edelen,* 

Wni.  J.   HendricK,'' 


Arthur  B.   Branch, 

Carl  Kagin, 

Mrs.  Carrie  Wolfe, 

F.  J.  Rtimpp, 

Airs.  Ellen  Grimes, 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  l^ewiu, 

Archie  Rossell, 

Harry  Rossell, 

Mrs.   Louisa  Hancock, 

Sherley  B.  Wintersmith, 

J.  McClusky  Blayney,  Jr., 

Miss  Mary  Bell  Rossell, 

Miss  Mary  C.  Hulitt, 

Miss   Kate   Rose, 

Mr?..  Mary  Jenkins, 

Miss  Cordelia  Rossell, 

Miss  Mag  Peveler, 

Miss  Clara  B.  Willis, 

Miss  Rosa  Gordon, 

Miss    Lucy    Dean, 

J.  W.  Rossell, 

Edward  Dean, 

James   Geters. 


Mrs.  Matlie  Hendrick,* 
Miss  Ann  Hendrick.* 
Miss   Sophia    Hendrick,* 


262 


HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FR.-VNKFORT. 


Miss    Hannah    Hardin, 
Henry   H.    Wood, 
J.  McClellan  Van  Derveer. 
Miss  Amelia   Bauer. 
Miss  Bessie  Hardin. 


Miss  Lillie  Hulitt. 
Mrs.    Rosanna    Harp, 
Mrs.  Ada  Smith, 
J.  McKee  Heffner, 
Benjamin  Jackson. 


1893- 


Mrs.    Louise    L.    Hudson.* 
Mrs.  Sarah  Holt.* 
Miss  SaUie  Holt* 
Miss  Carrie  Holt.* 
Mrs.  Lillian  Gaines.* 
Miss  ^far\-  Staten. 
Miss  Margaret  Reading. 
Miss   Cordelia  J.   Bull. 
Ashbury  Stivers, 
Mrs.  Rosa  Jackson. 
Mrs.  Cordelia  M.  Woods. 
Miss  Rebecca  Trumbo. 


1894. 


Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Keenon, 
Frank    C.     Cannon, 
Mrs.  SalUe  C.  Starks. 
Waiter  O.  Bullock.  Jr., 
Allen  E.  HoflFnian. 
Mason  B.  Barrett. 
J.   W.   Pruett.  Jr.. 
R.   K.  McClurc.  Jr.. 
George  F.  Berry. 
Wm.  Pruett  Graham, 
James  S.  Ely. 
John  S.  Cannon. 
Miss  Esther  Graham. 
W.   P.  Hudson. 
Charles  T.  Ray. 
Mrs.  Louisa  Greenback.* 
Mrs.  ^[ary  Arnold. 
Mrs.  Mary  Hastings. 
Miss  K.  L.  Jackson. 
Joseph  Xoland. 


Miss  Lucy  Cammack. 
Edwin    Kagin. 
Joseph  Rut. 
Mrs.    ^fary   Hazlett. 
Alfred  B    Read,* 
Mrs.  Martha  J.  Read.* 
Mrs.  Josie  Stivers. 
C.    E.    Herd, 
Charles  E.  Hoge, 
Samuel  Brown. 
Miss  Lula  Hulitt. 
Mrs.  Sarah  Herbert.*' 


Miss  Mattie  Xoland. 
Miss  Ruth  Betts. 
Miss  Ida  B.  Hulitt. 
Da\-id  C.  Hardin, 
William  Hardin, 
Miss  Hannah  Hardin. 
Miss  Flora  Haidin, 
Mrs.  Caroline  Edwards, 
Samuel  C.  Chiles. 
Richard  T.  Chiles, 
Wm.  T.  Reading.  Jr.. 
Henr\-  C.  Payne. 
Charles    Adams. 
Edward  M.   Dryden, 
James  P.  Woodson, 
Maupin  Woodson, 
Walter  Edmonds. 
Wm    C.    Herndon. 
Mrs.  Sue  B.  Herndon, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Holt. 


GENERAL    SUMMARY, 


263 


Mrs.   Rose  Sutterlin, 
Miss  Jessie   Woodson, 
Miss  Eleanor  S.  Cannon, 
Miss  Annie  M.   Keenon, 
Miss  Flossie  E.   French, 
Miss  Mary  Crulcher, 
Miss  Mahala  Pepper, 
Miss  Louise  Pepper, 
Miss  Lyne  Pepper, 
Miss  Virginia  Chinn, 
Eugene  M.  Tinsley, 
Miss  Lou  A.   Hukill, 
Mrs.  Anna  B.  Walcott, 
Miss  Lucy  P.  Brown, 
Miss    Flora   Wolfe, 
Miss    Mary    Miller, 
Miss  Pauline  Hildebrand, 
Miss  Bertha  Hildebrand, 
Miss  Kate  Edwards, 

Mrs.  Lula  Morse, 

Miss  Mary  Bauer. 

Wesley  Edwards, 

Rufus  Follis, 

Frank  Cozine, 

Lee  Steele, 

John  B.  Dryden,  Jr., 

Gavin  C.   Morris. 

Oscar  C.  Wolfe, 

Walter  S.  McCloy, 

William   Kehr, 

Robert  C.  Nicol, 

William  W.  Ely, 

James  M.   flarpe. 


Mrs.  Mary  H.  Bradley. 
Miss  Jane  C.  Hendrick, 
John  H.   Hendrick, 
Mrs.  Rosa  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Bell  M.  Trabue, 
Mrs.   Nettie  True, 


John  W.   Dean, 
W.  H.  Neel, 
Andrew  Noland, 
Mrs.   Susan   McGrew, 
Miss  Virginia  S.  Brown, 
Miss  Evelyn  C.  Brown, 
Miss  Alice   B.   Averill, 
Mrs.  Mag  Johnson, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  McAnally, 
Mrs.  Mildred  Betts, 
Mrs.  Margaretta  Barrett,* 
Mrs.  May  W.  Hoge,* 
John   C.  Wile>, 
Joseph  Greenback, 
William   Anderson, 

William  Kinkead, 
James  E.  Rossell, 

Mrs.   Cassie  Nicol,* 

Samuel'  Sanders, 

Benjamin  Fallis, 

William  N.  Tracy, 

Sallie  B.  Hulitt, 

Millie  B.   Rose. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Tracy, 

Miss  Lucy  Tracy, 

Hugh    A.    Branch, 

Jennie  Rossell, 

A.  S.  Herbert, 

K.    J.    Whalen, 

Albert  E.  Grant, 

Henry  Edmonds, 

Buford  Willis, 

J.   J.  Jordan. 


1895. 


Mrs.  Jennie  Wittmer, 
James  Anderson,* 
Mrs.  M.  G.  Anderson.* 
Mrs.    Eliza   Hansboro, 
Mrs.  Susan  E.  Peyton, 
Miss  Gertie  Cobb. 


264  HISTORY    OF    FIRST   CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 


1896. 


Strother  Buford. 
Mrs.  Mary  Buford, 
Mrs.  Nannie  A.  Woodson, 
Miss  Mary  R.  Follis, 
Mrs.  Gertrude  S.  Blayney,* 
Miss  Mary  Kerr  Hoge, 
Mrs.  Stella  V.  Averill.* 
John  Watson  Brown, 
Percy  E.  Hoge, 
Miss  Annie  Samuel,* 


1897. 


Miss  Antoinette  Woodson, 
Miss  Henrietta  Nicol, 
Mrs.  Kate  S.  Rodgers,* 
Miss  Prue  B.    Hunt, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hunt, 
Miss    Luella    Shingleton, 
George  Shinkle,* 
Mrs.  Fannie  Shinkle, 
Carl    Kagin, 


Mrs.  Mary  E.  Peyton, 

Thaddeus    Zeigler, 

Miss  Annie   Peyton, 

Miss  Catherine  Dryden, 

H.  G.  Banta, 

IMiss  Kate  Craig, 

C.  H.  Betts, 

S.  F.   Powell, 

Miss  Jennie   M.   Dabney, 

Miss  Ethvl  Reid.* 


William    Nickols,* 
Mrs.   Emily  Nickols,* 
Miss  Liziiie  Patterson, 
Miss  Mary  Brown  Duvall, 
Mrs.    Mary   N.    Averill,* 
Mrs.   Nola  B.   McClure,* 
Miss  Cornelia  Gordon, 
Mrs.    Susie   Kieman, 
Samuel  E.  Ri gg.* 


1898. 


Mr?.    Cornelia   Bush,* 
Hugh    Duvall    Smith, 
Miss  Ada  Horton,* 
Wm.   R.  Worrall,* 
Mrs.  Kate  G.  Worrall,* 
Duane  Sinclair, 
George  S.  Watson, 
James  E.  Cantield,* 
Mrs.  Edith  Canfield,* 
Thomas    H.   Johnson,* 


Miss  Anna  Harp, 
James  Anderson,  Jr., 
John  M.  Bull,* 
Miss  Jane  S.  Watson, 
Miss  Lucy  M.  Chinn, 
Thos.   P.  Fallis, 
Mrs.  N.  T.  Crutcher, 
Henry  P.   Crutcher, 
Miss  Beulah  Downey. 
Miss  Birdie   Pevton. 


1899. 


Mrs.  Rachel  Weathcrford,* 
Miss  Rowena  Weatheiford,* 
Miss  Nellie  Lewis, 
John   A.    Crittenden, 
Miss  Rebecca  S.    Watson, 


J.  L.  Waggener,  Jr.,* 
Thomas   H.    Stagg,* 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stagg,* 
J.   Craik  Jackson,* 
Mrs.  Mary  M.  Shackelford,* 


GENERAL    SUMMARY. 


265 


Miss  Mary  Todd  Brown, 
A.  J.  Brown, 
Samuel  Burry, 
Thomas  A.  Noland, 


1900. 


Mrs.  Mattie  R.  Blanton  * 
Benjamin  M.  Keenon, 
Miss  Mary  Anderson, 
Miss  Annie  S.  Anderson, 
David  Anderson, 
Miss  Emma  Luscher, 
Miss  Frances  McDaniel, 
Miss  Martha  Zimmerman, 
Miss  Louise  Zimmerman, 
Miss  Genevieve  Posey, 
Miss  Auhyn  Chinn, 
Miss    Jennie    Bell,* 
William  H.   Holt, 
Gotlieb    Kagin, 
Mrs.   Eleanor  Johnson, 
Mrs.   Mary  Douglas, 
Charles  E.  Ahler. 
Robert  S.  Watson, 


Miss  Annie  E.  Brown, 
William  S.  Hancock, 
Mrs.  May  S.   Hancock,* 
Miss  Nellie  M.  Brown. 


Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brightwell, 
Miss  Lizzie  B.  Watson, 
Hord  Hardin, 
Mrs.  Margerite  Sacra,* 
J.  W.  Beard.* 
L.  A.-  Tn.imbo, 
Mrs.  W.  D.  Roy,* 
Miss  Pattie  Keenon, 
Miss  Agnes  M.  Keenon, 
Miss  Lida  P.  Edelen. 
Ernest  Watson, 
Willia'X'n  Craig, 
Miss   Laura   Rossell, 
Miss  Bertha  Rossell, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Harper,* 
George   B.    Harper,* 
Mrs.   Hallie  C.   Harper,* 
Dr.  W.  E.  Baxter. 


APPENDIX. 


THE    LOVE    HOUSE. 

The  "  Love  House,"  or  "  Love  Tavern,"  as  it  was 
sometimes  called  in  the  early  years  of  the  town,  was 
the  first  building  erected  in  Frankfort.     It  was  built  by 
General  James  Wilkinson  in  1786,  when  he  laid  out  the 
town,  and  was  intended  for  his  own  occupation  and  use. 
When  he  left  Frankfort,  in  1791,  to  re-enter  the  United 
vStates  Army,   the   property  passed  into  the  hands   of 
Mr.  Andrew  Holmes,  by  whom  it  was  held  until  it  was 
sold  by  General  Wilkinson,  in  1797,  to  Major  Thomas 
Love,  of  the  United  States  Army,  who  served  under 
General  Charles  Scott  (afterwards  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky),  in   Wayne's   campaign   in    1793.      Mr.   Andrew 
Holmes  was  one  of  the  public-spirited  citizens  of  the 
town,  and  took  an  active  and  leading  part  in  the  nego- 
tiations with  the   State,  which  uhimately  secured  the 
location  of  the  Capital  at  Frankfort,  acting  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  signing  the  agree- 
ments made  with  the  Commissioners  of  the  State.     One 
of  the  stipulations  was  the  free  use  of  this  building  by 
the  State  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Legislature ;  and 
it  was  so  used,  that  body  occupying  it  from  1793  until 
the  completion  of  the  first  Capitol  building. 

The  place  continued  to  be  used  as  an  "  Inn  "  even 
after  the  death  of  Major  Thomas  Love,  which  occurred 
in    1809.      But   larger   and   more   conveniently   located 


268  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

taverns  in  the  business  part  of  the  town  eventually 
diverted  the  patronage  of  the  traveling  public,  and  it 
thenceforth  w^as  used  as  a  home  by  the  widow,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Love,  and  her  son,  James  Y.  Love,  who  was 
born  in  the  house  in  1797,  at  the  time  the  family  took 
possession.  ]\lrs.  Elizabeth  Love  died  in  1846,  and 
her  friend  and  companion,  ]Miss  Priscilla  Talbott,  was, 
through  the  kindness  of  Air.  James  Y.  Love,  allowed 
to  occup}-  the  liouse  during  the  remainder  of  her  life. 
After  her  death  the  property  was  sold  in  1868,  and  the 
old  buildmg  gave  place  to  a  modern  structure.  For 
nearly  a  hundred  years  this  house  withstood  the  ravages 
of  time,  and  when  removed,  so  sound  were  its  massive 
timbers  and  so  well  joined  in  construction  under  its 
well-worn  and  furred  sheathing,  that  it  was  an  object 
of  interest  and  wonder  to  all  beholders. 

Thus  passed  away  this  most  interesting  and  historic 
building,  within  whose  walls  many  distinguished  per- 
sonages had  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time  sojourned. 
Aaron  Burr  in  1805,  and  at  intervals  during  the  fol- 
lowing year,  when  under  prosecution  for  conspiracy 
and  treason,  made  this  house  his  abiding  place,  and  the 
upper  rear  end  room,  shown  in  the  illustration,  was  the 
one  occupied  by  him. 

Philip  Nolan,  "  the  man  without  a  country,"  was  also 
for  some  time  a  lodger  here  before  giving  his  life  as 
"  the  first  martyr  of  Texas." 

Lender  its  hospitable  roof  also  for  a  while  abode  the 
exiled  Orleans  Prince  Louis  Philippe,  and  at  a  ball  given 
here  in  his  honor,  a  maiden  of  Frankfort  won  distinc- 
tion by  declining  his  hand  for  a  dance,  assigning  as  the 
only  reason  her  imwillingness  to  ofTend  a  more  humble 
admirer  whom  she  liad  just  refused. 


APPENDIX.  269 

For  many  3'ears  after  the  settlement  of  the  town  this 
house,  being  the  most  capacious  within  its  bounds,  was 
used  for  pubHc  assemblages  of  various  kinds,  and  was 
the  first  house  in  the  place  in  which  a  religious  service 
was  held.  After  the  organization  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  1S16  it  was  the  stated  worshiping  place  for 
the  congregation  until  the  First  Church  building  on 
Wapping  Street  was  erected. 


THE    BROWN    MANSION. 

The  Brown  mansion  was  erected  in  1796  by  Hon. 
Jolm  Brown.  In  its  construction  he  used  plan  draw- 
ings and  specifications  made  for  him  by  his  friend  and 
law  preceptor,  Thomas  JefTerson,  who,  in  addition  to  his 
distinguished  abilities  as  a  lawyer,  statesman  and  man  of 
affairs,  was  an  amateur  architect.  This  building,  still 
well  preserved  as  originally  constructed,  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  descendants  of  the  builder,  is  invested 
with  peculiar  interest  to  Presbyterians,  and  especially 
to  those  of  our  local  church.  It  was  during  the  first 
three  decades  of  the  century  the  center  of  religious  influ- 
ence in  the  community,  and  within  its  walls  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  town  gathered  for  divine  worship  before 
there  was  any  organized  religious  body  or  church  in 
the  place.  It  was  also,  from  time  to  time,  the  meeting 
place  of  the  little  Sabbath-school,  the  first  in  Kentucky 
or  the  West,  and  the  home  of  its  founder  and  principal 
promoter,  Mrs.  Margaretta  Brown. 

Owing  to  the  high  position  of  its  owner,  in  both 
national  and  State  affairs,  and  the  accomplishments  and 


270  HISTORY    OF    FIRST    CHURCH,    FRANKFORT. 

eminent  worth  of  its  mistress,  this  noted  mansion  was 
sought  by  all  people  of  note  when  visiting  or  passing 
through  the  Capital,  and  many  of  the  distinguished  men 
of  that  day  enjoyed  its  abounding  hospitality. 

It  had  the  very  unusual  honor,  upon  one  occasion, 
in  1819,  of  entertaining  at  breakfast  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  James  Monroe,  together  with  Gen- 
eral Andrew  Jackson  and  Major  Zachary  Taylor,  two 
distinguished  officers  of  the  army,  both  of  them  future 
Presidents. 

In  the  year  1825,  when  Lafayette  made  his  memo- 
rable and  triumphant  tour  in  the  United  States,  he  spent 
a  day  and  night  in  Frankfort.  As  was  the  custom  at 
that  day,  he  was  entertained  at  a  grand  l^all  and  recep- 
tion, given  in  the  Weisiger  House,  during  which  he  took 
time  to  withdraw  himself,  and  accompanied  by  his  "  aide 
and  suite,"  visited  and  passed  an  hour  with  Mrs.  Brown 
in  this,  her  home.  One  motive  for  the  visit,  as  stated  by 
him,  was  to  seek  an  opportunity  to  express  his  thanks 
and  appreciation  of  the  kind  offices  of  her  family  in 
making  it  possible  for  him  to  visit  America  at  that  time. 
He  stated  that  it  would  not  have  been  in  his  power  to 
have  obtained  permission  from  his  government  (with 
whicii  he  was  in  disfavor  and  under  surveillance)  to 
leave  France,  had  it  not  been  for  the  action  of  the 
American  Minister,  Hon  James  P)rown.  her  brother- 
in-law,  in  making  a  ])ersonal  guarantee  for  his  return. 


APPENDIX.  271 

THE  CHURCH  OF  NINEVEH. 

In  the  year  1896  a  church  was  organized  by  a  com- 
mittee of  Transylvania  Presbytery,  of  the  Southern 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  the  village  of  Nineveh,  Ander- 
son County,  Kentucky.  This  was  at  a  point  one  mile 
from  the  site  of  Upper  Benson  Church,  then  extinct 
about  fifty  years.  A  number  of  persons  of  advanced 
age,  who  had  attended  the  old  church  in  their  youth, 
and  had  been  pupils  in  its  Sabbath-school,  came  for- 
ward and  identified  themselves  with  the  new  organi- 
zation. These  persons  all  traced  their  religious  impres- 
sions and  experience  to  the  old  church  and  the  faithful 
teaching  in  the  Sabbath-school  of  Mr.  Thomas  Paxton 
and  his  daughters,  and  thus  after  the  lapse  of  half  a 
century  they  formed  a  nucleus  for  the  organization  of 
a  new  church  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  old. 

Is  not  this  another  striking  instance  of  the  blessing 
of  God  upon  the  sowing  of  the  seed  of  gospel  truth  and 
fruit-bearing  many  years  after  His  consecrated  servants 
had  ceased  from  their  labors  and  gone  to  their  reward? 

One  of  the  ruling  elders  in  the  organization  of  the 
church  of  Nineveh  was  ]\Ir.  Marvin  D.  Averill.  a  grand- 
son of  Thomas  Paxton,  and  one  of  the  deacons  was 
William  H.  Averill,  Jr.,  a  great-grandson,  both  of  whom 
were  dismissed  from  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Frankfort,  with  their  families,  to  aid  in  the  work. 


272  APPENDIX. 

A  STATEMENT  EXHIBITING  THE  EXPENSES 

OF  THE  CHURCH   FROM  JANUARY, 

T829,  TO  JANUARY,   1833. 


Paid  for  candlesticks,  candles,  oil,  etc $202  2,"] 

Paid  for  window  glass  and  putting  in 831 

Paid  for  pitchers,  glass  tumblers,  brooms  and 

buckets    10  06 

Paid  for  scouring  the  church 22  63 

Paid  for  freight  on  bell  metal  to  Pittsburg,  and 

bell  coming  back,  and  putting  up 57  62 

Paid  for  firewood,  etc 93  31 

Paid  for  burial  of  Mrs.  Lindsey,  etc 25  00 

Paid  for  representative  to  General  Assembly.  .  61  00 

Paid  for  carpeting,  cover  for  table,  and  wine.  .  31  33 
Paid  to  man    who   had   his   boat    sunk  on  the 

Wabash    22  75 

Paid   to  S.  R.  Alexander    for    church    at    Vin- 

cennes  13  00 

Paid  to  Mrs.  Swan  and  Mrs.  Beavis  and  sister  30  75 
Paid  to  R.  McNutt  for  teaching  vocal  music  to 

choir  55  00 

Paid  to  J.  F.  Carr  for  Hanover,  Ind 40  00 

Paid  to  sexton 182  50 

Paid  to  Colonization  Society 265  00 

Paid  for  stove,  piping  and  freight 65  75 

Paid  for  lamp  glasses  and  wick 10  13 

Paid  for  washing  white 8  25 

Paid  for  Synodical  expenses 9  25 

Paid  to  Foreign  Missions 1 1 1  50 

Paid  for  small  expenses 15  62 

$1,341   13 

Amount  of  monthly  collections 1.324  19 

Balance  due  A.  P.  Cox,  Tr $16  94 


APPENDIX.  273 


PRESBYTERIAL    LIVERY    BILL. 


Frankfort  Presbyterian  Church,  order  of  B.  Monroe, 

To  H.  GiLTNER,  Dr. 
1846. 

April  20.  Keeping  i  horse  3  days,  Rev.  Price $1  12 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Bayless i  13 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days,  Rev.  Brackin i   12 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  McKee i  13 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Logan i   12 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days,  Rev.  Cowan i  13 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Shane i   12 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Fields i   13 

Keeping  r  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Foreman i   12 

Keeping  i  horse  3  days.  Rev.  Brown i   13 

Keeping  i  horse  2  days,  Mr.  Wallace 75 

Keeping  i  horse  2  days,  Mr.  Carr 75 

Keeping  i  horse  2  days,  Mr.  Griffith 75 

Keeping  i  horse  2  days,  Mr.  Elliott 75 

Keeping  i  horse  2  days,  Mr.  Atkinson 75 

Keeping  i  horse  i  day,  Mr.  Polk ^jVz 


$15  37y2 
Received  payment  of  Wm.  M.  Todd. 

Rtchard  SharpE.  for  H.  Giltner. 


2  74 


APPENDIX. 


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APPENDIX.  275 


SUBSCRIPTION    FOR    THE    GIRLS'    SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL,    MARCH,    1819. 


Amount  collected  by  Mrs.  Berkley $9  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Foster 2  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Bibb i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Hensley i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Starling i  50 

Received  from  Mrs.  Scott  (Doctor) i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Crittenden i  00 

$16  50 

Received  in  the  Year  1820. 

Received  from  Mrs.   Bibb $1  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Margaretta  Brown 4  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  George  Todd i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Foster 2  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Innes 50 

Received  from  Mrs.  C.  Scott i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Crittenden i  00 

Received  from  Mrs.  Starling 3  00 

Received  from  several  scholars  in  firewood 2  50 

16  00 

Received  during  1821  and  1822. 

Received  collection  in  the  church $14  87 

Received  from  children  in  firewood 3  25 

Received  from  subscriptions  in  small  amounts. ...     4  12 

Received  from  church  collection 6  66 

Received  from  M.  and  V.  Brown 75 

29  65 

Total  for  four  years $62  15 


276  APPENDIX. 


SAMPLE    PAGE    OF    EXPENDITURES, 

1819    x\ND     1820. 

GIRLS'    SABBATH-SCHOOL. 


Paid  Kendall  &  Russell  for  printing  50  copies  Command- 
ments      $2  SO 

Paid  same  for  printing  5  dozen  Shorter  Catechisms 10  00 

Paid  same  for  printing  3  dozen  Primers 2  00 

Paid  postage  on  tracts  sent  as  present  to  school 88 

Paid  2  Class  books;  4  Watts'  Sacred  Songs,  i i  75 

Pair  for  premiums  and  rewards,  Philadelphia 9  00 

Paid  for  paper  for  covering  rewards  and  tracts 43 

Paid   Kendall    &   Russell    for   printing   3   dozen    Brown's 

Catechisms 3  00 

Paid  same  for  25  copies  Food  for  Lambs 6  25 

Paid  Lexington  Bible  Society  for  tracts i  00 

Paid  for  2  loads  wood,  $2.00;  cutting,  50c 2  50 

Paid  Miles  for  making  fires 75 

Paid  for  scouring  room  four  times 50 

$40  56 


APPENDIX. 


277 


ROSTER   OF    CLASSES. 
September,   1826. 


Mrs.  Brown, 
Superintendent,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


Mrs.    Love,    Mrs.    Roberts,    Miss    Gray   and    Miss 
SproulE,  Teachers. 


Mrs.  Love's  Class. 

Lucy  Ann  Goodrich, 
Margerite   Markerly, 
Margerite  Van  Allen, 
Lucy  Samuel, 
Jane  Breckinridge, 
Lucretia  Coleman, 
Agnes  Todd, 
Josephine  Gray, 
Sarah  Ann  Taylor, 
Eliza  Samuel, 
Mary  Ann  Watson, 
Fannie  Phillips. 

Miss  Gray's  Class. 

Martha  Mitchell, 
Eloise  Taylor, 
Ellen  Harvie, 
Frances  Deaver, 
Mary  J.   Ransdale, 
Mary  A.   Taylor, 
Mary  Graham. 
Mary  Crumbaugh, 
Ann  Evans, 
Margerite  Coleman, 
Susette  Ransdale. 


Mrs.  Roberts'  Class. 

Cornelia  A.  Crittenden, 
Gabrella  Lewis, 
Maria  Lewis, 
Lucy  A.    Bibb, 
Elizabeth  Graham, 
Susan  Russell, 
Catherine    Graham, 
Catherine  Watson, 
Jane  Hardin, 
Mary  Jane  Goodrich, 
Charlotte  Crumbaugh. 


Miss  Sproule's  Class. 

Eliza  Harden, 
Maria  L.  Crittenden, 
Sarah  Hannah  Russell, 
Mary  Jane  Todd, 
Margerite  Whitehead, 
Angelina  Gower, 
Jane  Davidson, 
Mary  Tuttle, 
Sally  Tuttle, 
Ann  Maria  Evans. 


!78 


APPENDIX. 


A  STEWARD'S  ACCOUNT  BETWEEN  HIMSELF 

AND 

THE    PROPRIETOR    OF    THE    WORLD.* 


"  And  he  called  him  and  said,  Give  an  account  of  thy 
stewardship." 

"  It  is  required  of  stewards,  that   a  man  be   found 
faithful." 

Receipts. 


(  Life,  Health,  Family,  Friends... 
[  Society,  Liberty,  Food,  Raiment. 


f  Bodily  senses,  seeing,  hearing,  etc. 


Intellectual  powers,  reason,  judgment. 

Conscience,  sympathy,  power  of  speech,  etc. 

The  world  for  our  habitation,   and 

Its  wonderful  adaptation  to  our  wants 

Pure  air,  gushing  springs,  flowing  rivers.... 
Beautiful  landscapes  and  blooming  flowers.  .  . 

Superintending    Providence 

Changes  of  season,  seedtime  and  harvest.  ... 
Early  and  latter  rain,  summer  and  winter.  .. 
Day  and  night,  with  refreshing  sleep 

Religious  Privileges.     The  Bible 

The  unspeakable  gift  of  His  Son 

5  <!  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit 

The  preached  Word,  ihe  Sabbath  Day 

The  Promises,  and  hope  of  Heaven 


Cts. 


*  Rev.  E.  N.  Sawtell. 


APPENDIX. 


279 


Let  each  Christian,  as  a  faithful  steward,  fix  the 
valuation  of  his  "  Receipts  "  on  the  preceding  page,  if 
he  can  estimate  them,  and  put  the  question  to  his  con- 
science, "  What  owest  thou  unto  my  Lord  ?  "  and  then 
fill  up  the  blanks  on  this  page  as  an  answer. 


Remittances 


Made  by  the  steward,  and  deposited  in  the  bank  of 
heaven,  which,  although  a  debt  he  owes,  draws  an 
interest  during  life  of  one  hundred  per  cent. 
(Matthew  xix.  29.) 


Remittances  Made. 

For  the  support  of  his  own  local  church 

For  Home  Missions 

For  Foreign  Missions 

For  Sabbath-school  Work 

For  Education  of  the  Ministry 

For  Building  Churches 

For  Relief  of  Disabled  and  Infirm  Ministers 

For  Aid  to  Christian  Schools  and  Colleges 

For  Education  and  Evangelization  of  the  Freedmen 

For  the  Bible  Society 

For  the  Relief  of  the  Poor 

For  Other  Benevolent  Objects 

For   Incidental    Charities 


Cts. 


28o 


APPENDIX. 


ANCIENT    ADVICE.* 


Let  your 


I  Thoughts  be  divine,  lawful,  chaste. 

Conversation  be  brief,  honest,  true. 

Works  be  profitable,  holy,  charitable. 

Manners  be  grave,  courteous,  cheerful. 

Diet  be  temperate,  convenient,  sober. 

Apparel  be  frugal,  neat,  comely. 

Will  be  constant,  obedient,  ready. 

Sleep  be  moderate,  quiet,  seasonable. 

Prayers  be  short,  frequent,  fervent. 

Recreation  be  lawful,  suitable,  seldom. 
\    Memory  be  of  death,  punishment,  glory. 


Hear 
Be  silent 
Understand 
Remember 


and  learn  to 


''   be  silent, 
understand, 
remember, 
do  accordingly. 


All  that  vou 


see,  judge  not. 
hear,  believe  not. 
know,  tell  not. 
can  do,  do  not. 


''  Rev.   E.    N.    Sawtell,   in    Manual   of  Second    Presbyterian 
Church,  Louisville,  Ky.,  1833. 


APPENDIX.  281 


TO    REMEMBER: 


"  My  first  great  business  on  earth  is  the  salvation  of 
my  soul." 

"  Whenever  we  become  unwatchful  and  self-con- 
fident, we  are  near  some  humiliating  fall." 

"  That  those  experiences  or  excited  feelings  which 
result  in  no  efforts  for  Christ  are  grovmdless." 

"  Pride  takes  no  delight  in  begging.  Beware,  there- 
fore, of  pride,  which  will  soon  make  thee  a  stranger  at 
the  throne  of  grace." 

"  Though  we  brought  sin  with  us  into  the  world,  we 
shall  not  carry  it  with  us  out  of  the  world.  As  death 
came  by  sin,  so  shall  sin  itself  be  destroyed  by  death." 

"  A  man  may  go  to  heaven  without  health,  without 
wealth,  without  honor,  without  learning,  without  friends, 
but  he  can  never  gfo  to  heaven  without  Christ." 


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